US embassy cable - 02HARARE998

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 HARARE 000998 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JFRAZER 
LONDON FOR CGURNEY 
PARIS FOR CNEARY 
NAIROBI FOR TPFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2012 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, EAGR, ASEC, ZI 
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: VIOLENCE OF RETRIBUTION CONTINUES; 
COMMERCIAL FARMERS BEING EVICTED EN MASSE 
 
REF: A. HARARE 981 
     B. HARARE 789 
     C. HARARE 713 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Todd Faulk 
 
1.  (C) Summary: Ruling party militants continue their 
campaign of violent retribution against opposition 
supporters, six weeks after Zimbabwe's presidential election 
ended.  Since March 11, at least 18 people have died in 
political violence, bringing the total for the year to at 
least 54.  The number of internally displaced persons has 
soared in the last month; at least 100,000 MDC sympathizers 
have been made homeless since early March, according to local 
NGOs.  Reports of systematic sexual abuse by ZANU-PF 
militants against women are coming to light; one local NGO is 
preparing legal action against ZANU-PF on this issue.  On the 
commercial farms, the forcible eviction of farmers and 
hundreds of their workers is accelerating.  In some areas, 
the evictions are being conducted en masse, often with the 
help of the police, to make way for military and GOZ 
officials who were promised rewards for backing Mugabe.  The 
eviction of commercial farmers has spread and is now a 
nationwide phenomenon.  Property and legal rights are 
essentially a thing of the past for Zimbabwe's white 
minority, and basic human rights for the majority are 
increasingly disregarded.  End summary. 
 
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Political Violence Continues Unabated 
------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (U) Six weeks after Zimbabwe's presidential election 
ended on March 11, ruling party youth, militants, and war 
veterans continue their campaign of violent retribution 
against opposition supporters.  According to the Zimbabwe 
Human Rights NGO Forum, an umbrella group of local human 
rights groups, 54 people have died in political violence 
since the beginning of this year; by our count, 18 of these 
were killed after the election.  (Note:  Three additional 
deaths not mentioned in the Forum's report have been reported 
to us by other sources, which indicates that the actual death 
toll could be higher.  End note.)  The Forum's April 15 
report showed that 35 of those killed were MDC supporters, 
seven were ZANU-PF, two were war veterans, and ten were of 
unknown political affiliation.  At least five of those killed 
were MDC polling agents, including Petros Jeka, who was 
stabbed to death by suspected ZANU-PF supporters near 
Masvingo on April 4.  The April 23 edition of the independent 
"Daily News" reported that ZANU-PF youth killed a 55th 
victim, Brandina Tadyanemhandu, in her home on April 21 by 
cutting her head off with an ax in front of her two young 
daughters.  A Zimbabwe Republic Police spokesperson termed 
the report a "grandiose lie." 
 
3.  (SBU) Since January 1, the Forum's member organizations 
have received reports of 945 cases of political beatings or 
torture, 229 cases of intimidation or threats, 214 
kidnappings, 143 unlawful detentions, 29 disappearances, and 
5 politically-motivated rapes. (Note: The number of rapes is 
likely much higher due to the social stigma against reporting 
rape. End note.)  The Zimbabwe Women Lawyers' Association 
(ZWLA) stated in an April 18 "Financial Gazette" article that 
it is gathering evidence of systematic sexual abuse of women 
at the hands of ZANU-PF supporters for a legal case against 
the ruling party.  ZWLA stated that scores of women have been 
raped in ZANU-PF militia camps around the country because of 
their support for the MDC.  Frances Lovemore of the Amani 
Trust human rights NGO told poloff that the problem is not 
necessarily increasing, but is only being reported more now 
with the ZWLA's involvement.  Many of the internally 
displaced women who come to Amani do not report cases of 
sexual abuse, many because they are afraid of being divorced. 
 Lovemore noted that farm workers are more frequently asking 
NGOs for condoms, perhaps because they fear having relations 
with a wife who has been attacked. 
 
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Number of Internal Refugees Skyrockets 
-------------------------------------- 
 
4.  (SBU) Speaking more generally of internally displaced 
Zimbabweans, Lovemore told poloff April 22 that the problem 
continues to spiral.  Just since the election, 53,000 have 
been displaced in Mashonaland West province alone, and 69,000 
have been displaced from communal lands nationwide.  Another 
10-12,000 are homeless in urban areas, and thousands of 
commercial farm workers have been displaced, most in the 
Mashonaland provinces, Lovemore stated.  She could not 
estimate the total, but the figures she gave us put the total 
number of internally displaced persons well above 100,000. 
More continue to stream into Harare every day, Lovemore 
reported; Amani Trust just set up another camp for 400 
commercial farm workers from Marondera on April 22.  Lovemore 
informed poloff that local NGOs, partially with USAID 
funding, are organizing a nationwide network of camps to 
handle the increasing masses of displaced people.  As another 
example of displacement, in an April 19 press release, the 
MDC stated that 12 of its supporters in Makoni North were 
assaulted and evicted from their homes earlier in the week; 
their huts were burned down in the presence of the police, 
who made no arrests. 
 
5.  (SBU) Philip Muskwe, director of the non-partisan Uzumba 
Development Trust (UDT) NGO, told poloff April 23 that 
ZANU-PF militants have made at least 600 people homeless in 
Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe (UMP) district (Mashonaland East) 
alone.  Twelve homes belonging to MDC supporters, including 
three polling agents, were recently burned down.  UDT is 
cooperating with Amani and Tim Neill,s Zimbabwe Community 
Development Trust to establish up to five refugee camps in 
UMP district for up to 1,500 people, Muskwe stated.  Although 
there are not many commercial farms in UMP, many resettled 
farmers there are leaving their plots for the Macheke area 
(75 km to the south), where many commercial farmers have been 
expelled.  This is creating tension with the Macheke farm 
occupiers, who complain that they are first in line for 
Macheke property and the UMP settlers are "queue jumpers." 
This merely reflects the chaotic and unorganized nature of 
the farm seizures, Muskwe opined.  Political violence 
continues unabated in UMP, Muskwe added; an MDC activist, 
George Kamudzanga, was so severely beaten in an attack last 
week that he is now permanently wheelchair-bound.  Many MDC 
supporters, mostly youth living with their parents, are 
attacked in the middle of the night and told never to return 
to UMP. 
 
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Commercial Farmers Evicted En Masse 
----------------------------------- 
 
6.  (SBU) The situation on the commercial farms continues to 
deteriorate.  Over the last several weeks, war veterans and 
ZANU-PF militia, often with the aid of the police, have 
become more aggressive in forcibly evicting commercial 
farmers and farm workers from their homes.  Many farm workers 
have been beaten in the process.  The farmers are usually 
given only a few hours to leave and take what personal 
belongings they can.  They are not permitted to remove any 
farm equipment, including tractors, trucks, generators, 
irrigation works, or fertilizer (see REF A).  Usually the 
farmhouses are ransacked and looted, sometimes before the 
farmers can leave, and any harvested crops, tractors and 
trucks are stolen.  The farm workers, homes are often burned 
down.  The Marondera area (about 60 km southeast of Harare) 
has been particularly hard-hit, where nearly every farm (some 
30 in all) has been invaded and pillaged, regardless of 
whether the farm was ever listed for acquisition or the 
farmer served with a Section 8 eviction notice.  For every 
farm attacked, 300-600 people have been displaced, according 
to Mary Wood, a farmer in the area.  The evictions appear to 
be spreading; we have received reports that farms or ranches 
in Mazoe (35 km north of Harare), Gokwe (Midlands province), 
Muzurabani (Mashonaland Central), Gwanda and Beitbridge 
(Matabeleland South) have been similarly attacked.  In most 
cases, the invasions appear to take place in the presence of 
police details and at the behest of a local police commander, 
government official, or military officer, who have been 
promised plots or entire farms.  When farmers plead with the 
police to intervene, they are usually told that it is a 
political matter or a land issue and they should contact the 
local district administrator or the Lands Committee in 
Harare.  Some have done this, but to no avail. 
 
7.  (SBU) Below is a compendium of some of the more egregious 
commercial farm reports we have received in the last week: 
 
-- Ian and Kerry Kay, commercial farmers and MDC activists, 
were forced off their farm on March 15 (REF C).  They have 
been living in Harare ever since.  With the help of their 
lawyers, they recently re-served the court order (initially 
issued last year) requiring the farm occupiers to leave on 
the provincial governor, provincial administrator, district 
administrator and police.  All refused to receive it.  The 
district administrator simply threw it back at them without 
reading it.  When Ian attempted to return to the farm last 
week, he found two army details present; they would not allow 
him to enter the property.  He found out later that all of 
his harvested tobacco and paprika and 250 head of cattle have 
been stolen.  All his workers are now encamped in Harare. 
The farm has essentially ceased to operate. 
 
-- On March 20, 15-20 occupiers locked themselves in the home 
of Marondera farmer Mike Colahan, who summoned the police. 
When they arrived, they were accompanied by Gerry Gatora, the 
ZANU-PF provincial legal advisor, who orchestrated a 
"kangaroo court" for Colahan.  Gatora accused Colahan of 
making pangas (machetes) and petrol bombs on his property for 
the MDC, but could produce no credible evidence.  On April 
19, 25-30 militia members showed up, forced Colahan,s 
workers out of their homes, and told Colahan he had two hours 
to pack and leave.  When he returned later, he found his 
house ransacked, his workers, houses looted and his tractors 
and farm trucks missing.  His property has never been listed 
for compulsory acquisition, he told poloff. 
 
-- Guy Cartwright told embassy officers that on April 6, 
retired brigadier general Ambrose Mutinhuri showed up at his 
Waltondale farm near Marondera with two police details and a 
crowd of drunken, violent youth.  The youth threw most of his 
personal belongings out of the house, and smashed or looted 
what was left.  Twenty of his workers were "severely 
assaulted."  The police escorted him back onto the property 
days later to find his tractors and trucks gone; the police 
told him he could not remove his tobacco crop, which is now 
in curing sheds. 
 
-- Angry war veterans, accompanied by embarrassed GOZ 
agricultural extension officials, arrived on the Tamba ranch 
in Gwanda district for the first time on April 20 by smashing 
the gate lock, John Darlow told poloff.  The war vets told 
Darlow he should leave immediately as his property was being 
pegged for resettlement.  Darlow had received a Section 8 
eviction notice on January 7 and has been fighting local 
officials over it in the courts.  Darlow reported that War 
Veterans Association Secretary for Projects Andrew Ndlovu 
arrived in the area two weeks ago and has been instigating 
actions against farm and ranch owners.  Three ranchers in the 
area have already been forced off their property.  According 
to Darlow, Shannon Wheeler,s large orange orchard in 
Beitbridge district, was recently invaded, and Wheeler has 
not been allowed to leave his house.  Occupiers there are 
chopping down the orange trees and confiscating the oranges. 
 
-- Mack Gloss, another Matabeleland South rancher, told 
poloff that on April 19, governor Stephen Nkomo stirred up 
trouble by making stops along the main road in the district 
and telling youth and war vets to begin taking over the 
white-owned ranches.  Nkomo also warned the police not to 
interfere.  Gloss stated that at least 20 farms and ranches 
in Gwanda and Beitbridge districts have been affected. 
Poaching has increased markedly--at least 100 animals a day 
are being slaughtered for sale to local abattoirs; even two 
giraffes were recently killed by poachers, Gloss reported. 
All of this is being sanctioned by local GOZ officials, who 
are doling out plots to themselves, policemen and local 
ZANU-PF-affiliated businessmen.  Even Mr. Moyo, the dean of 
Bulawayo Polytechnic Institute has been awarded a ranch. 
ZANU-PF MP and Deputy Foreign Minister Abedinico Ncube has 
already moved onto a neighbor's ranch after forcibly 
expelling the rancher, Gloss stated. 
 
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Comment 
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8.  (C) It is clear that Mugabe has no intention of cutting 
back on political violence until he has eliminated his 
political foes as a viable source of opposition.  Following 
this script, there appears to be no end in sight to the 
significant human rights violations that occur daily in 
Zimbabwe.  Victims have increasingly little recourse as the 
police more frequently turn a blind eye or dismiss acts of 
criminality as "political matters."  On the land issue, a 
massive new land grab is currently underway, and this grab 
appears to be more a political reward for well-connected 
ZANU-PF supporters than a real attempt to resettle communal 
farmers or landless peasants.  Everyone from senior 
government ministers to local government officials to 
military officers are reaping the windfall of Mugabe's 
tainted electoral win, sometimes at the expense of farm 
occupiers who have been in place for two years.  Property and 
legal rights are essentially a thing of the past for 
Zimbabwe's white minority, and basic human rights for the 
majority are increasingly disregarded as a tiny elite 
tightens its repressive grip on the country.  End comment. 
SULLIVAN