US embassy cable - 05HARARE672

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000672 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF FOR DAS T. WOODS 
AF/S FOR B. NEULING 
OVP FOR NULAND 
NSC FOR DNSA ABRAMS, SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR C. COURVILLE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PREL, ZI, ZANU-PF, MDC 
SUBJECT: POST ELECTION VIOLENCE YIELDS FIRST POLITICAL 
MURDER OF THE YEAR 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR CHRISTOPHER W. DELL UNDER SECTION 1.4 b/d 
 
1. (C) MDC spokesperson for Mashonaland West Biggie Haurobi 
confirmed to poloff on May 9 the circumstances surrounding 
the April 29 murder of MDC activist Moffat Ebrahim, which had 
been reported by the local press.  According to Haurobi, 
ZANU-PF supporters in the Kashimhure Village near Karoi were 
petitioning to have Ebrahim expelled because of his political 
affiliation.  Haurobi indicated that Ebrahim was summoned to 
appear at a village-level tribunal )- essentially a kangaroo 
court often overseen by the village chief -* on April 25, 
but refused to attend after hearing rumors that ZANU-PF 
supporters were planning to kill him at the meeting.  Haurobi 
alleged that the ZANU-PF supporters subsequently had Ebrahim 
arrested for burning the house of a ZANU-PF supporter, but 
police released Ebrahim for lack of evidence.  According to 
Haurobi the ruling party supporters and war veterans then 
abducted Ebrahim on April 28 and took him to the house of 
ZANU-PF supporter Elphas Gora, where he was interrogated, 
tortured, and killed. 
 
2. (C) Haurobi advised that local police were investigating 
the incident, although the MDC expected the police 
investigation to be inconclusive.  He said that police 
continued to avoid decisive action in politically motivated 
crimes: they typically either did nothing or, at best, 
arrested but failed to prosecute members of each party. 
Haurobi indicated that such "even-handedness" systematically 
favored elements that were willing to employ violence to 
advance their interests.  Haurobi lamented that the 
non-violent MDC had little recourse to discourage ZANU-PF 
from future acts of violence other than to publicize the 
murder.  Following Ebrahim's murder, Haurobi indicated that 
MDC supporters had fled their homes and were hiding in the 
bush to avoid further violence or potential arrest. 
 
3. (C) COMMENT: Ebrahim's murder and the systematic 
persecution of MDC supporters in rural areas highlights the 
challenge the MDC is dealing with as it attempts to increase 
its support in these areas.  Rural residents are acutely 
aware that suspected MDC supporters face difficulty accessing 
food distributions, obtaining and sustaining employment, and 
even traveling, as ZANU-PF youth threaten local bus and taxi 
drivers providing transport for MDC members.  This pervasive 
climate of intimidation no doubt significantly cut into the 
MDC's rural vote in March and will have to be overcome if the 
party is to increase its base of support in rural provinces. 
 
DELL