US embassy cable - 01HARARE3470

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 003470 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY 
PARIS FOR CHARLES NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/11 
TAGS: EAGR, PGOV, PINR, ZI, Agriculture 
SUBJECT: AMERICAN FARMER IN ZIMBABWE PROVIDES GLOOMY 
SNAPSHOT OF COUNTRY'S COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE 
 
REF: HARARE 3401 
 
CLASSIFIED BY POLOFF TODD C. FAULK FOR REASONS: 1.5 (B) 
AND (D). 
 
1.  (C) ON NOVEMBER 15, THE EMBASSY RECEIVED AN URGENT 
MESSAGE FROM AMERICAN FARMER MITZI CARRUTHERS, WHO, WITH 
HER ZIMBABWEAN HUSBAND BRUCE, WORKS A SIZABLE FARM 20 KM 
OUTSIDE OF BINDURA TOWN.  THEY DO NOT OWN THE PROPERTY, 
BUT LEASE IT FROM A ZIMBABWEAN WHO HAS SINCE RELOCATED 
TO AUSTRALIA.  THE FARM HAD BEEN VISITED THAT DAY BY A 
TECHNICAL TEAM FROM THE AGRITEX PARASTATAL BELONGING TO 
THE MINISTRY OF LANDS AND AGRICULTURE.  AS NEITHER SHE 
NOR HER HUSBAND WERE AT HOME, THE FARM MANAGER CONVINCED 
THE TEAM TO RETURN THE NEXT DAY.  FEARING THEY WERE 
ABOUT TO BE SERVED A SECTION 8 EVICTION NOTICE, MRS. 
CARRUTHERS, AN EMBASSY WARDEN, CONTACTED THE EMBASSY 
(SEE REFTEL FOR DETAILS ON SECTION 8 OF THE LAND 
ACQUISITION ACT). 
 
2.  (C) ON THE MORNING OF NOVEMBER 16, POLOFF JOINED 
MRS. CARRUTHERS AT HER FARM TO AWAIT THE RETURN OF THE 
AGRITEX GROUP AND OBSERVE THE PROCEEDINGS.  THE GROUP, 
COMPRISING TWO YOUNG WOMEN AND A MAN, SHOWED UP MORE 
THAN AN HOUR LATE AND EXPLAINED THEY WERE JUST A 
TECHNICAL TEAM THERE TO TAKE SOIL SAMPLES, MARK THE 
PROPERTY BOUNDARY, AND ASSESS THE EXTENT OF THE FARM'S 
INFRASTRUCTURE.  (NOTE: THE FARM OWNERS SOME TIME AGO 
HAD BEEN SERVED A SECTION 5 NOTICE, WHICH NOTIFIES THE 
OWNERS OF THE GOVERNMENT'S INTENTION TO ACQUIRE THE 
PROPERTY.  SURVEYING THE PROPERTY IS PERMISSIBLE UNDER 
SECTION 5 OF THE LAND ACQUISITION ACT.  END NOTE.)  THE 
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AGRITEX PEOPLE WERE LOW-KEY AND NON-CONFRONTATIONAL, AND 
HAD ALL THE APPEARANCE AND DEMEANOR OF SUMMER INTERNS. 
WHEN ASKED IF A SECTION 8 EVICTION NOTICE WAS SOON TO 
FOLLOW, THE TEAM LEADER RESPONDED THAT A DIFFERENT 
MINISTRY DEPARTMENT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT AND SHE DID 
NOT KNOW WHAT THE DEPARTMENT INTENDED TO DO.  THE TEAM 
CARRIED OUT ITS ONE-HOUR SURVEY WITHOUT INCIDENT. 
 
3.  (C) MRS. CARRUTHERS TOLD POLOFF THAT THIS WAS THE 
FIRST TIME HER FARM HAD BEEN VISITED BY THE LANDS 
MINISTRY.  SHE AND HER HUSBAND HAVE BEEN VERY LUCKY AND 
HAVE NOT HAD SQUATTERS OR WAR VETERANS ON THE FARM SINCE 
THE TROUBLE BEGAN LAST YEAR.  SHE NOTED, HOWEVER, THAT A 
FEW MONTHS AGO THE MAYOR OF BINDURA APPEARED ON THE FARM 
IN AN APPARENT SCOUTING MISSION FOR A PROPERTY THAT WAS 
CLOSER TO TOWN.  THE MAYOR'S FARM NEAR SHAMVA WAS TOO 
FAR AWAY, HE REPORTEDLY TOLD THE FARM MANAGER.  MRS. 
CARRUTHERS REPORTED THAT HER NEIGHBORS HAVE NOT BEEN SO 
FORTUNATE.  MOST OF THEM HAVE OCCUPIERS WHO HAVE DENUDED 
SURROUNDING FORESTS AND BUILT HUTS ON THE PROPERTIES 
(POLOFF OBSERVED SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE OF THIS ON THE WAY 
TO THE CARRUTHERS' FARM).  THE BINDURA POLICE 
COMMISSIONER EVEN BUILT A HUGE HOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF A 
NEIGHBOR'S IRRIGATED FIELD, MRS. CARRUTHERS STATED. 
 
4.  (C) ALTHOUGH RELIEVED THAT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN SERVED 
A SECTION 8 NOTICE YET, THE CARRUTHERS STATED THEY ARE 
WORRIED ABOUT THE FUTURE.  THEY ALREADY HAVE ZIM$1.5 
MILLION (APPROXIMATELY US$5,000) WORTH OF FERTILIZERS ON 
FIELDS THAT ARE INTENDED TO GROW SOYBEANS.  THEY HAVE 
PURCHASED THE SEED, THEIR WORKERS HAVE PLOWED THE 
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PAGE 04        HARARE  03470  01 OF 02  200922Z 
FIELDS, AND AN EXPENSIVE IRRIGATION SYSTEM IS INSTALLED 
AND READY FOR USE, THEY REPORTED.  THEY ARE APPREHENSIVE 
ABOUT PLANTING -- FEARFUL THAT THEIR CROPS WILL BE 
PLOWED OVER BY SQUATTERS OR UNSCRUPULOUS LOCAL OFFICIALS 
OR THAT THEY WON'T EVEN BE AROUND TO HARVEST IN A FEW 
MONTHS.  ON THE OTHER HAND, IF THEY DON'T PLANT SOON, 
THERE IS NO DOUBT THEY WILL HAVE WASTED MILLIONS OF 
ZIMBABWE DOLLARS AND WON'T HAVE ANY WAY TO RECOVER IT. 
IN A FOLLOW-UP CONVERSATION NOVEMBER 19, BRUCE 
CARRUTHERS REPORTED THAT THE AGRITEX PEOPLE HAD NOT 
RETURNED TO THE FARM AS PROMISED.  HE AND HIS WIFE ARE 
PLANNING TO JOIN A COLLECTIVE APPEAL BY LOCAL FARMERS TO 
THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNOR TO 
SAVE THEIR LAND.  INDIVIDUAL APPEALS HAVE HAD LITTLE 
EFFECT IN THE PAST, HE SAID. 
 
5.  (C) COMMENT: IT IS PROBABLY NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT 
THE LANDS MINISTRY DECIDED TO SURVEY THE CARRUTHERS FARM 
LESS THAN A WEEK AFTER PRESIDENT MUGABE AMENDED THE LAND 
ACQUISITION ACT TO PERMIT THE OUTRIGHT NATIONALIZATION 
OF ZIMBABWE'S COMMERCIAL FARMS.  THE GOVERNMENT IS 
EVIDENTLY REDOUBLING ITS EFFORTS TO SEIZE MOST WHITE- 
OWNED PROPERTY BEFORE THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DUE BY 
MARCH 2002.  GIVEN THE NEW LEGISLATION AND THE BINDURA 
 
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                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ9140 
 
PAGE 01        HARARE  03470  02 OF 02  200922Z 
ACTION AF-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AGRE-00  ACQ-00   CIAE-00  COME-00  DINT-00 
      DODE-00  DOTE-00  SRPP-00  DS-00    EB-00    EUR-00   FAAE-00 
      FBIE-00  VC-00    H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   L-00     VCE-00 
      AC-01    NSAE-00  OMB-01   OPIC-01  PA-00    PC-01    PM-00 
      PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00     SP-00    TRSE-00  USIE-00  PMB-00 
      DSCC-00  DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00  SAS-00     /007W 
                  ------------------40BAE3  200923Z /38 
P 200836Z NOV 01 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0324 
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 02 HARARE 003470 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY 
PARIS FOR CHARLES NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/11 
TAGS: EAGR, PGOV, PINR, ZI 
SUBJECT: AMERICAN FARMER IN ZIMBABWE PROVIDES GLOOMY 
SNAPSHOT OF COUNTRY'S COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE 
 
MAYOR'S INTEREST IN THE FARM, WE FEAR THE CARRUTHERS' 
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PAGE 02        HARARE  03470  02 OF 02  200922Z 
HERETOFORE GOOD FORTUNE, AND CENTURY-LONG HISTORY IN 
ZIMBABWE, MAY SOON COME TO AN END.  END COMMENT. 
 
SULLIVAN 
 
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