US embassy cable - 01HARARE2666

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 002666 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL. 09/10/11 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, ZI 
SUBJECT: BULAWAYO MAYORAL VOTE AND MAKONI WEST BY-ELECTION MARRED 
BY IRREGULARITIES 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF MATT HARRINGTON.  REASONS: 
1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
REF:  HARARE 2642 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1.  (C) THE SEPTEMBER 8-9 BULAWAYO MAYORAL ELECTION AND 
PARLIAMENTARY BY-ELECTION IN MAKONI WEST WERE MARRED BY MISSION- 
OBSERVED IRREGULARITIES, WHICH WOULD LEAD US TO CHARACTERIZE THEM 
RESPECTIVELY AS "FLAWED" AND "NOT FREE AND FAIR."  IN BULAWAYO, 
LARGE NUMBERS OF VOTERS WERE TURNED AWAY FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, 
AND THE USE OF A LARGE SUPPLEMENTARY VOTERS ROLL WHICH HAD NOT 
BEEN MADE AVAILABLE IN ADVANCE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION RAISED 
CONCERNS IN THE MINDS OF OBSERVERS.  IN MID-AFTERNOON ON SEPTEMBER 
10, THE ZIMBABWE BROADCASTING CORPORATION ANNOUNCED THAT THE MDC 
HAD WON ALL SEVEN CITY COUNCIL SEATS, BUT WE DO NOT EXPECT 
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE MAYORAL RESULT UNTIL LATER ON SEPTEMBER 10 OR 
EARLY ON SEPTEMBER 11.  IN MAKONI WEST, VOTING WAS MOSTLY PEACEFUL 
ALTHOUGH 3,000 FEWER VOTES WERE CAST THAN IN THE JUNE 2000 
PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION.  WE OBSERVED THAT SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS OF 
VOTERS WERE TURNED AWAY AT POLLING STATIONS, AND GOZ AND/OR ZANU- 
PF OFFICIALS TRAVELLED FREELY IN THE CONSTITUENCY, GIVING ORDERS 
TO POLICE OFFICERS AND OTHER RELEVANT ELECTORAL OFFICIALS AT 
POLLING STATIONS.  THE FINAL RESULTS LIKELY WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY 
SEPTEMBER 11.  IN MAKONI WEST, WE DISCERNED AN EMERGING GOZ 
STRATEGY TO TRY TO CONTROL THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO 
INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS BY TELLING DIPLOMATS NO ACCREDITATION WAS 
REQUIRED WHILE INSTRUCTING RELEVANT LOCAL OFFICIALS NOT TO SHARE 
INFORMATION WITHOUT PROOF OF ACCREDITATION.   END SUMMARY. 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        HARARE  02666  01 OF 03  101552Z 
BULAWAYO 
-------- 
 
2.  (C) THE MAYORAL ELECTION IN BULAWAYO SEPTEMBER 8-9 WAS MOSTLY 
PEACEFUL, BUT WAS MARRED BY A NUMBER OF IRREGULARITIES, OBSERVED 
FIRST-HAND BY EMBASSY OFFICERS.  AS THE SECOND DAY OF VOTING DREW 
TO AN END, ONLY 16 PERCENT OF REGISTERED VOTERS HAD CAST THEIR 
BALLOTS, IN CONTRAST TO 46 PERCENT IN THE JUNE 2000 PARLIAMENTARY 
ELECTION (60,000 VERSUS 170,000, OUT OF A TOTAL OF 369,294 
REGISTERED VOTERS).  IT IS DIFFICULT TO DRAW ANY DEFINITIVE 
CONCLUSIONS FROM THE LOW TURNOUT FIGURES, AS ZIMBABWEANS RARELY 
TURN UP IN LARGE NUMBERS TO VOTE IN LOCAL ELECTIONS.  WE HAVE 
HEARD AN UNCONFIRMED REPORT THAT, IN THE FIRST DIRECT ELECTION FOR 
BULAWAYO'S MAYOR IN THE MID-1990'S, ONLY FIVE PERCENT OF 
REGISTERED VOTERS CAST BALLOTS.  ADDITIONAL FACTORS THIS TIME WERE 
LIKELY A WIDESPREAD EXPECTATION THAT THE OPPOSITION MOVEMENT FOR 
DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (MDC) WOULD WIN HANDILY AND A RELUCTANCE TO RISK 
ONE'S SKIN TO VOTE IN A MAYORAL ELECTION.  WE ALSO HAVE HEARD 
COMPLAINTS THAT THERE WERE TOO FEW POLLING STATIONS; THEY WERE FAR 
APART, MAKING ACCESS PROBLEMATIC FOR THOSE WITHOUT CARS.  SHARI 
EPPEL, DIRECTOR OF THE BULAWAYO BRANCH OF THE RESPECTED HUMAN 
RIGHTS ORGANIZATION AMANI TRUST, TOLD US THAT GROUPS OF ZANU-PF 
SUPPORTERS WERE DROPPED THE WEEK PRIOR TO THE ELECTION IN SEVERAL 
TOWNSHIPS, WHERE THEY SUBJECTED THE RESIDENTS TO THREATS OF 
VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION.  WE ALSO HEARD REPORTS OF LARGE NUMBERS 
OF ZANU-PF SUPPORTERS BEING BUSED IN ON THE VOTING DAYS. 
 
3.  (C) WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM A VARIETY OF RELIABLE SOURCES 
REPORTS OF PROCEDURAL IRREGULARITIES IN BULAWAYO.  A HIGH NUMBER 
OF VOTERS, FOR INSTANCE -- RANGING BETWEEN TEN AND FORTY PERCENT 
AT EACH POLLING STATION -- WERE TURNED AWAY, EITHER BECAUSE THEIR 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 04        HARARE  02666  01 OF 03  101552Z 
NAMES WERE NOT ON THE ROLL OR BECAUSE THEY WERE UNABLE TO PRESENT 
PROPER IDENTIFICATION.   EMBASSY OFFICERS SPOKE WITH MANY PEOPLE 
WHO WERE NOT ALLOWED TO VOTE, A MAJORITY OF WHOM WERE MALES 
BETWEEN THE AGES OF 25 AND 45, A DEMOGRAPHIC WIDELY ASSUMED IN 
THIS REGION TO BE SYMPATHETIC TOWARDS THE MDC.  WE ALSO HAVE HEARD 
TROUBLING ACCOUNTS OF VOTER ROLL MANIPULATION.  BELINDA MUSANO, 
DEPUTY COORDINATOR OF THE ZIMBABWE ELECTION SUPPORT NETWORK 
(ZESN), WHICH CONDUCTS THE DOMESTIC MONITORING EFFORT, TOLD 
POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF THAT A NUMBER OF RESIDENTS HAD CONFIRMED 
THEIR NAMES WERE ON THE VOTERS ROLL DURING THE PERIOD OF PUBLIC 
INSPECTION (JUNE 25-JULY 16), BUT ARRIVED ON VOTING DAY TO FIND 
THAT THEIR NAMES HAD BEEN REMOVED.  MOST OF THE RESIDENTS IN THIS 
SITUATION WERE REPORTEDLY WHITE. 
 
4.  (C) IN ADDITION, A SUPPLEMENTARY VOTERS ROLL -- WHICH WAS 
NEVER MADE AVAILABLE IN ADVANCE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION -- WAS SEEN 
AT SOME POLLING STATIONS, AND, IN SOME INSTANCES, IT WAS THICKER 
THAN THE REGULAR ROLL.  THERE ALSO WAS SIGNIFICANT CONFUSION ABOUT 
WHERE PEOPLE WERE SUPPOSED TO VOTE.  MOST VOTERS BELIEVED THAT 
THEY COULD CAST THEIR BALLOTS ANYWHERE IN THE CONSTITUENCY IN 
WHICH THEY WERE REGISTERED, BUT WERE TOLD WHEN THEY SHOWED UP TO 
VOTE THAT THEY WERE REQUIRED TO VOTE IN THE WARD IN WHICH THEY 
WERE RESIDENT (A CONSTITUENCY COMPRISES SEVERAL WARDS).  THIS 
REQUIREMENT WAS APPARENTLY IMPOSED BECAUSE SEVEN CITY COUNCIL 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ1673 
 
PAGE 01        HARARE  02666  02 OF 03  101553Z 
ACTION AF-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AID-00   AMAD-00  CIAE-00  INL-00   DODE-00 
      SRPP-00  DS-00    EB-00    EUR-00   VC-00    H-01     TEDE-00 
      INR-00   IO-00    LAB-01   L-00     VCE-00   AC-01    NSAE-00 
      OIC-02   OMB-01   OPIC-01  CAEX-01  PA-00    PM-00    PRS-00 
      ACE-00   P-00     SP-00    STR-00   TRSE-00  USIE-00  PMB-00 
      DSCC-00  PRM-01   DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00  SAS-00     /011W 
                  ------------------1CFF96  101553Z /38 
P 101538Z SEP 01 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9678 
INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY 
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY 
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 03 HARARE 002666 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL. 09/10/11 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, ZI 
SUBJECT: BULAWAYO MAYORAL VOTE AND MAKONI WEST BY-ELECTION MARRED 
BY IRREGULARITIES 
 
SEATS -- REPRESENTING PARTICULAR WARDS -- WERE ON THE BALLOT BUT, 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  02666  02 OF 03  101553Z 
BECAUSE OF A LACK OF PRE-ELECTION VOTER EDUCATION, VOTERS WERE 
NEVER INFORMED OF THIS REQUIREMENT DURING THE CAMPAIGN. 
 
5.  (C) ONE INCIDENT WHICH HAS GARNERED SIGNIFICANT PRESS 
ATTENTION WAS THE SEPTEMBER 9 ARREST IN BULAWAYO OF THREE 
BODYGUARDS OF MDC MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT DAVID COLTART.  COLTART 
TOLD US THAT THE BODYGUARDS WERE ARRESTED AFTER VIDEOTAPING A 
LARGE BUS OFF-LOADING YOUNG MEN WITH SHAVED HEADS WHOM THEY 
BELIEVED TO BE TROUBLEMAKERS OR ILLEGAL VOTERS BROUGHT IN BY THE 
RULING PARTY.  THE BODYGUARDS WERE DETAINED AND CHARGED WITH 
FIREARMS VIOLATIONS AFTER A SEARCH OF THEIR HOUSES TURNED UP 17 
GUNS.  COLTART INSISTED THAT HIS BODYGUARDS HAVE LICENSES FOR EACH 
OF THE FIREARMS, BUT THEY REMAINED IN DETENTION AS OF LATE 
AFTERNOON SEPTEMBER 10. 
 
6.  (C) IT IS DIFFICULT TO ASSESS HOW MUCH THE IRREGULARITIES 
AFFECTED THE ULTIMATE OUTCOME, BUT IT IS CLEAR THAT THEY WERE 
SERIOUS AND NUMEROUS ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY A DESCRIPTION OF THE 
ELECTION AS "FLAWED" AND RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TACTICS WE ARE 
LIKELY TO SEE EMPLOYED IN FUTURE BY-ELECTIONS AND THE PRESIDENTIAL 
ELECTION EXPECTED IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2002. 
 
7.  (U) SHORTLY BEFORE THIS CABLE WENT TO PRESS, THE ZIMBABWE 
BROADCASTING CORPORATION (ZBC) ANNOUNCED THAT THE MDC HAD WON ALL 
SEVEN OF THE CITY COUNCIL SEATS, REPORTEDLY BY A HANDY MARGIN. 
THE MAYORAL RESULT LIKELY WILL NOT BE ANNOUNCED UNTIL LATE 
SEPTEMBER 10 OR EARLY ON SEPTEMBER 11. 
 
MAKONI WEST 
----------- 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        HARARE  02666  02 OF 03  101553Z 
8.  (C) AFTER A PRE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN MAKONI WEST MARRED BY THE 
INCIDENTS OF VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION WE HAVE COME TO EXPECT IN 
ZIMBABWEAN ELECTIONS (REFTEL) -- ALTHOUGH LESS INTENSE AND 
WIDESPREAD THAN IN THE LAST THREE BY-ELECTIONS IN BINDURA, BIKITA 
WEST, AND MARONDERA -- THE VOTING DAYS THEMSELVES SEPTEMBER 8-9 
WERE MOSTLY PEACEFUL.  VOTER TURNOUT WAS SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN IN 
THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION, AS THIS TIME 17,067 PEOPLE CAST 
BALLOTS (OUT OF A TOTAL OF 42,788 REGISTERED VOTERS), IN CONTRAST 
TO 20,279 IN JUNE 2000. 
 
9.  (C) U.S. EMBASSY OFFICERS OBSERVED THE VOTING, COORDINATING 
CLOSELY WITH OTHER DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS TO ENSURE THAT ALL 44 
POLLING STATIONS RECEIVED A VISIT.  SEVERAL INCIDENTS PROVIDED 
CAUSE FOR CONCERN.  ON SEPTEMBER 8, POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF CAME 
ACROSS A GROUP OF 200-300 PEOPLE, MOST OF THEM MEN APPARENTLY 
UNDER THE AGE OF FORTY, WHO HAD BEEN TURNED AWAY, ALTHOUGH THEIR 
NAMES WERE ON THE VOTERS ROLL.  THEY WERE TOLD THAT THEY NOW HAD 
TO VOTE IN THE CONSTITUENCY OF MUTARE WEST, EVEN THOUGH MOST HAD 
CAST BALLOTS IN JUNE 2000 AND EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THEIR NEIGHBORS 
HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO VOTE.  AS FAR AS WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO 
DETERMINE, THERE HAS BEEN NO NEW DEMARCATION OF MAKONI WEST SINCE 
THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION.  WE DO NOT YET HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF 
WHETHER THIS WAS MORE THAN AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, BUT WE HAVE HEARD 
ANECDOTAL REPORTS OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS ELSEWHERE IN THE 
CONSTITUENCY.  AT MOST OF THE POLLING STATIONS WE OBSERVED, MORE 
THAN TEN PERCENT OF VOTERS WERE TURNED AWAY EITHER BECAUSE THEY 
WERE NOT ON THE VOTERS ROLL OR BECAUSE THEY DID NOT PRESENT 
IDENTIFICATION SUFFICIENT TO SATISFY THE PRESIDING OFFICER.  (N.B. 
WE ARE NOT CERTAIN WHETHER OR NOT THIS WAS DUE TO DELIBERATE 
GOVERNMENT ACTIONS OR POOR INFORMATION PROVIDED TO THE VOTERS.) 
WHEN THE CHIEF OF THE EUROPEAN UNION'S HARARE-BASED ELECTION 
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PAGE 04        HARARE  02666  02 OF 03  101553Z 
OBSERVATION UNIT SOUGHT AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE LOCAL REGISTRAR- 
GENERAL TO ASK ABOUT THIS AND OTHER ALLEGED IRREGULARITIES, THE 
REGISTRAR-GENERAL REFUSED TO MEET WITH HIM. 
 
10.  (C) IN A PATTERN CONSISTENT WITH THAT IN PAST BY-ELECTIONS, 
GOVERNMENT AND/OR ZANU-PF OFFICIALS WITHOUT ACCREDITATION MOVED 
UNHINDERED IN AND OUT OF POLLING STATIONS AND, IN SOME CASES, GAVE 
ORDERS TO THE POLICE OFFICERS ON-SITE.  AT ONE POLLING STATION, 
MEN IN A VEHICLE WITH GOVERNMENT PLATES -- WHO DID NOT IDENTIFY 
THEMSELVES -- HARASSED THE DRIVER OF OUR EMBASSY VEHICLE, TELLING 
HIM WE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THERE.  THEY TOLD THE DRIVER THAT, "IF 
YOU ALL (IN AN APPARENT REFERENCE TO INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS ) 
INSIST ON CONTINUING TO OBSERVE, THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WILL BE 
TOUGHER."   THE EFFECTS OF THE PRE-ELECTION VIOLENCE AND 
INTIMIDATION WERE CLEAR, AS EVERYONE -- THOSE WITH AN OFFICIAL 
ROLE RELATED TO THE VOTING AS WELL AS ORDINARY VOTERS -- WERE 
CLEARLY UNCOMFORTABLE TALKING TO US.  AT ONE POLLING STATION, A 
WELL-DRESSED MAN CAME UP TO US, IDENTIFIED HIMSELF IN A FURTIVE 
WHISPER AS AN MDC OFFICIAL, AND SAID HE HAD BEEN SENT FROM HARARE 
TO OBSERVE THE CONDUCT OF THE ELECTION. 
 
11.  (C) GIVEN THE TENSE PRE-ELECTION ATMOSPHERE AND THE ELECTION- 
DAY IRREGULARITIES NOTED ABOVE, IT IS NOT CLEAR THAT SOME 
RESIDENTS FELT COMFORTABLE ABOUT VOTING AND THUS STAYED AWAY FROM 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ1675 
 
PAGE 01        HARARE  02666  03 OF 03  101553Z 
ACTION AF-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AID-00   AMAD-00  CIAE-00  INL-00   DODE-00 
      SRPP-00  DS-00    EB-00    EUR-00   VC-00    H-01     TEDE-00 
      INR-00   IO-00    LAB-01   L-00     VCE-00   AC-01    NSAE-00 
      OIC-02   OMB-01   OPIC-01  CAEX-01  PA-00    PM-00    PRS-00 
      ACE-00   P-00     SP-00    STR-00   TRSE-00  USIE-00  PMB-00 
      DSCC-00  PRM-01   DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00  SAS-00     /011W 
                  ------------------1CFF9E  101553Z /38 
P 101538Z SEP 01 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9679 
INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY 
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY 
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 03 OF 03 HARARE 002666 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL. 09/10/11 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, ZI 
SUBJECT: BULAWAYO MAYORAL VOTE AND MAKONI WEST BY-ELECTION MARRED 
BY IRREGULARITIES 
 
THE POLLS.  WE CANNOT, THEREFORE, CHARACTERIZE THE MAKONI WEST 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  02666  03 OF 03  101553Z 
VOTE AS "FREE AND FAIR."  WE DO NOT EXPECT THE FINAL RESULT TO BE 
ANNOUNCED UNTIL LATE IN THE DAY ON SEPTEMBER 10 OR SOMETIME ON 
SEPTEMBER 11. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
12.  (C) IN MAKONI WEST, WE OBSERVED WHAT APPEARS TO BE AN 
EMERGING STRATEGY ON THE PART OF THE GOVERNMENT TO CONTROL THE 
ABILITY OF INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS TO OBSERVE ALL ASPECTS OF THE 
ELECTORAL PROCESS.  THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS HAS REPEATEDLY 
TOLD DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS THAT THEY DO NOT REQUIRE ACCREDITATION TO 
OBSERVE BY-ELECTIONS, BUT, DESPITE NUMEROUS REQUESTS, HAS REFUSED 
TO PROVIDE WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION TO THAT EFFECT, WHICH CAN BE USED 
OUTSIDE OF HARARE AND OTHER URBANIZED AREAS.  IN MAKONI WEST, FOR 
EXAMPLE, THE PRESIDING OFFICERS AT EACH POLLING STATION REFUSED 
EVEN TO SPEAK TO US WITHOUT "OFFICIAL" GOZ ACCREDITATION AND, IN 
SOME CASES, REFUSED TO ALLOW CONTACT BETWEEN US AND THE PARTY 
POLLING AGENTS.  IN PAST BY-ELECTIONS, POLICE OFFICERS OFTEN WERE 
WILLING TO SHARE WITH US THEIR ASSESSMENTS OF THE DAY'S VOTING 
BUT, THIS TIME, THE POLICE AT EACH POLLING STATION SIMPLY REFERRED 
US TO THE PRESIDING OFFICER.  MOST OF THE LOCAL OFFICIALS SEEMED 
TO HAVE A CLEAR SET OF INSTRUCTIONS.  OUR SENSE IS THAT WE MAY 
HAVE A FUTURE PROBLEM WHEREIN THE RELEVANT GOZ AUTHORITIES IN 
HARARE CONTINUE TO TELL US WE DO NOT NEED ACCREDITATION, WHILE 
LOCAL OFFICIALS ARE INSTRUCTED NOT TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH US 
UNLESS WE ARE ACCREDITED, A CLASSIC CATCH-22. 
 
ROTH 
 
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