US embassy cable - 04HARARE1599

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001599 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/S FOR BNEULING 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR C. COURVELLE, D. TEITELBAUM 
USDOC FOR AMANDA HILLIGAS, TREASURY FOR OREN WYCHE-SHAW, 
PASS USTR FOR FLORIZELLE LISER, STATE PASS USAID FOR 
MARJORIE COPSON 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2009 
TAGS: EAGR, ECON, PGOV, ZI, EINV, Agriculture 
SUBJECT: BLACK FARMERS GROUP AGREES TO TALKS WITH WHITE 
FARMERS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Christopher Dell for reason 1.5 d 
 
REF: A) HARARE 849 B) HARARE 912 
 
1. (C) Indigenous Commercial Farmers Union (ICFU) President 
Davison Mugabe told econoff his organization is now 
prepared to meet formally with representatives of the 
mainly white Commercial Farmers Union (CFU).  Mugabe 
appears to have overcome his initial reluctance to engage 
in such talks prior to next March's parliamentary elections 
(ref b). 
 
2. (C) Mugabe acknowledged to us that his organization 
badly needs the structure and expertise of the CFU.  He 
said he has resisted pressure from Agriculture Minister 
Joseph Made to explore merger options with the Zimbabwe 
Farmers Union (ZFU), which is mostly comprised of 
small-scale communal farmers.  The ICFU President argued 
that the needs and goals of his constituents are more 
compatible with the white farmers in the CFU - "serious 
businessmen" - than the black, mostly subsistence farmers 
in the ZFU. Mugabe suggested he may ask the Embassy to 
provide a neutral conference room, noting that neither side 
would be willing to meet at the other's offices. 
 
3. (C) On past occasions (ref a), CFU President Doug 
Taylor-Freeme told us he now believes a merger with ICFU 
may be the only way to save the final 500-600 white owned 
farms (and possibly reclaim some land for the additional 
500 white farmers still living in their farm-houses but no 
longer able to farm).  Taylor-Freeme told us he can no 
longer defend the rights of dispossessed whites, many of 
whom have emigrated from Zimbabwe.  He would be satisfied 
if he could secure tenure for about 1,000 members (down 
from 4,500 in 2000).  If the CFU agrees to a merger, 
Taylor-Freeme said it would seek a guarantee from the GOZ 
that there would be no further farm expropriations. 
Taylor-Freeme insists Lands Minister John Nkomo has agreed 
to this in principle, if the CFU follows the advice of the 
Presidential Land Review Committee Report of August 2003 
that there be a single non-racial commercial farmers union. 
 
4. (C) Comment: Formal talks between the two commercial 
farmer bodies would be an important step toward 
reconciliation in Zimbabwe's tattered agricultural sector. 
It is a long-shot, but one worth urging along. 
Taylor-Freeme has admitted to us that a merger could divide 
his union and drive dissenters to the militant Justice for 
Agriculture (JAG).  Ultimately, however, Taylor-Freeme 
knows time is not on the CFU's side.  From a variety of 
sources, we estimate that the GOZ continues to expropriate 
about one farms per week.  This is a far slower pace of 
acquisition than that of 2002, but suggests the CFU may run 
out of members at some point. 
Dell