US embassy cable - 01HARARE197

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000197 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH 
 
LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY 
 
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS 
 
NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER 
 
PASS USAID FOR A/AID RMCCALL, AA/AFR VDERRYCK, AFR/SA 
CPALMA 
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PASS USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/11/11 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PINS, PINR, ZI 
SUBJECT: DISTURBANCE IN ZIMBABWE TOWN INVITES POLICE 
INTERVENTION 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR 
REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (U) THE JANUARY 11 EDITION OF THE INDEPENDENT "THE 
DAILY NEWS" NEWSPAPER REPORTED THAT DISTURBANCES ERUPTED 
IN KADOMA TOWN--ABOUT 80 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HARARE--ON 
JANUARY 10.  THE NEWSPAPER SAID THE "RIOT" BEGAN AS A 
PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE TOWN COUNCIL'S 
FAILURE TO CONSULT LOCAL RESIDENTS ON THE TOWN BUDGET 
THAT WAS SENT TO HARARE FOR APPROVAL.  THE DEMONSTRATION 
DEGENERATED WHEN POLICE UNITS MOVED IN TO DISPERSE THE 
CROWD, AND THE PEOPLE REACTED BY ERECTING ROAD 
BARRICADES.  POLICE FIRED TEARGAS TO BREAK UP SEVERAL 
GROUPS OF PEOPLE, AND BEAT UP THOSE WHO REFUSED TO 
DISPERSE.  "THE DAILY NEWS" DESCRIBED POLICE AS INVADING 
HOMES AND "COMMANDEERING" RESIDENTS TO TAKE DOWN THE 
BARRICADES, WHICH BLOCKED THE MAIN HARARE-BULAWAYO 
HIGHWAY.  TWENTY-TWO PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED, ACCORDING TO 
THE NEWSPAPER. 
 
2.  (C) POLOFF SPOKE TO MDC MP FOR KADOMA CENTRAL, 
AUSTIN MUPANDAWANA, ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN KADOMA.  HE 
SAID THE TROUBLE BEGAN WHEN THE RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION 
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RECENTLY MET WITH THE TOWN COUNCIL TO GIVE INPUT ON THE 
TOWN BUDGET.  THE ASSOCIATION EXPRESSED SERIOUS CONCERN 
ABOUT A PROPOSED 200 PERCENT INCREASE IN THE COST OF 
CITY SERVICES, SUCH AS WATER AND REFUSE COLLECTION. 
WHEN THE TOWN COUNCIL FAILED TO TAKE THEIR CONCERNS INTO 
CONSIDERATION AND SENT THE BUDGET UNAMENDED TO HARARE 
FOR APPROVAL, THE ASSOCIATION WAS OUTRAGED AND DEMANDED 
A MEETING WITH THE TOWN MAYOR.  MUPANDAWANA REPORTED 
THAT THE MAYOR AGREED TO A MEETING, BUT BROUGHT WITH HIM 
A NUMBER OF POLICE AND CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE ORGANIZATION 
OFFICERS, WHO THREATENED TO ARREST THE ASSOCIATION 
REPRESENTATIVES UNLESS THEY STOPPED "HARASSING" THE 
MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL.  THE PEOPLE LEFT THE MEETING TO 
ERECT STREET BARRICADES OUT OF FEAR OF MORE POLICE UNITS 
ARRIVING.  MORE POLICE DID ARRIVE, AND REMOVED THE 
BARRICADES AND BROKE UP EVERY LARGE GATHERING OF PEOPLE. 
MUPANDAWANA DID NOT CHARACTERIZE THE DISTURBANCE AS A 
"RIOT," SAYING NO SHOPS WERE LOOTED OR VEHICLES BURNED. 
HE SAID THAT THE TOWN HAD RETURNED TO NORMAL, BUT THAT 
THE TOWNSPEOPLE WERE STILL DISGRUNTLED.  MUPANDAWANA 
SAID HE WAS RETURNING TO KADOMA JANUARY 11 TO ARRANGE A 
MEETING BETWEEN THE MAYOR AND RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION TO 
WORK OUT THEIR DIFFERENCES. 
 
3.  (C) COMMENT: BASED ON MUPANDAWANA'S COMMENTS, AND 
"THE DAILY NEWS"'S OWN ARTICLE, THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO 
HAVE BEEN A TRUE "RIOT" IN KADOMA.  IT IS APPARENT, 
HOWEVER, THAT THE LOCAL TOWNSPEOPLE ARE VERY AGITATED BY 
THE TOWN COUNCIL'S OVERBEARING APPROACH TO GOVERNANCE, 
USE OF THREATS, AND ATTEMPT TO DRAMATICALLY INCREASE THE 
PRICE OF CITY SERVICES.  GIVEN THIS LATEST DISTURBANCE 
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ON THE HEELS OF THREE DAYS OF STREET PROTESTS IN HARARE 
IN OCTOBER, WE CAN EXPECT SIMILAR REACTIONS FROM 
FRUSTRATED ZIMBABWEANS IN THE COMING MONTHS AS THE 
COUNTRY'S ECONOMY DETERIORATES FURTHER.  END COMMENT. 
 
IRVING 
 
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