US embassy cable - 02HARARE1714

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 001714 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USAID FOR AFR/SA MCOPSON; DCHA/FFP LLANDIS, DSKORIC 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JFRAZER 
LONDON FOR CGURNEY 
PARIS FOR CNEARY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2012 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, EAID, ASEC, ZI 
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: FOOD DISTRIBUTION RESTARTS IN ONE 
OPPOSITION AREA BUT THREATS OF INTERFERENCE ARISE IN 
ANOTHER 
 
REF: HARARE 1398 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Todd Faulk for reasons 1.5 (b) 
and (d) 
 
1.  (C) Post has learned from Amcit Father Tom McQuillen that 
the Catholic Church has been permitted to restart food 
distribution in the beleaguered Binga district of 
Matabeleland North province in Zimbabwe.  War veterans, 
acting on the order of Local Government Minister Ignatius 
Chombo, forced the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace 
(CCJP) to cease food distribution efforts throughout Binga in 
late May, and hindered attempts to deliver much-needed food 
to hospitals and school children (reftel).  Chombo had 
accused the CCJP of improperly assuming government functions 
and ordered its operation closed, despite the fact that the 
CCJP had become one of the largest sources of food for rural 
Binga residents.  A major element of ZANU-PF concern was 
clearly that the CCJP leader in Binga is an MDC candidate in 
local council elections.  Father McQuillen informed us that 
after an agreement was reached with local government, the All 
Souls Catholic Church in Binga and Catholic charities of the 
Zimbabwean Catholic Church was permitted to take over CCJP's 
program, and it started distributing food again on July 22 
with the help of Catholics for Overseas Development (CAFOD), 
a British NGO.  CAFOD made arrangements with local trucking 
companies for All Souls to deliver 85 tons of mostly maize 
meal during the week of July 22; it was able to deliver 23 
tons to schools and hospitals on the first day alone.  Father 
McQuillen reported that the hunger situation in Binga 
district has become acute; many teachers are reporting empty 
classrooms because children have been too weak to go to 
school.  (Comment: That should start to change with the new 
deliveries.  End comment.)  As part of the distribution 
agreement, All Souls sent letters to all Church centers in 
the district informing them of the distribution and asking 
them to report any attempt to politicize the food deliveries 
or segregate recipients based on political affiliation. 
 
2.  (C) It was only after the Binga incidents generated much 
bad publicity and public pressure from the USG and Vatican 
that the Government worked to find a solution.  According to 
the Apostolic Nuncio, it had been difficult for the 
Government to move against the war vets but that President 
Mugabe himself had eventually sought positive resolution of 
the problem (some six weeks after it originated). 
 
3.  (U) While relief was restarting in Binga, government 
officials threatened to stop food deliveries to opposition 
supporters in another opposition stronghold, Gwanda district 
in Matabeleland South province.  According to the independent 
"Standard" newspaper, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister 
Abedinico Ncube threatened to stop food deliveries at a July 
20 public meeting if residents did not vote for ZANU-PF in 
September rural council elections.  "Maize is in abundance 
but very soon it will be available only to those who dump the 
opposition and work with ZANU-PF."  While handing out food, 
Ncube also reportedly told the recipients that "as long as 
you value the government of the day you will not starve ... 
(but) you cannot vote for the MDC and expect ZANU-PF to help 
you."  In another case of food politicization, the MDC 
released a press statement about a July 12 meeting in which 
the ZANU-PF M.P. for Beitbridge, Kembo Mohadi, warned World 
Vision and Organization Help that their food relief work was 
at "government's invitation" and that they must follow the 
Government's directives.  Mohadi reportedly asked the NGOs 
for a list of the equipment it was using to distribute food 
and said "Government" would soon be taking over the food 
distribution.  He also reportedly stated that he was part of 
a "Cabinet Committee on Social Services Action" and that 
similar meetings were taking place across the country.  The 
MDC statement noted that Mohadi held the meeting in Gwanda 
town, which is represented in Parliament by MDC M.P. Paul 
Temba-Nyathi, and that no MDC officials were invited to the 
meeting.  However, local war veterans and representatives 
from the government-controlled Grain Marketing Board were 
present. 
 
4.  (U) World Vision Zimbabwe Director Rudo Kwaramba told us 
and the press separately that politicians could talk, but 
that no food distributed by World Vision had been nor would 
be politicized. 
 
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Comment 
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5.  (C) The incidents described above demonstrate the 
pressing need for an independent monitoring mechanism.  We 
are working with DFID here to develop a proposal that the EU 
can join us in supporting.  Our objective is to provide 
funding to the UN or one of its agencies, which in turn will 
contact an outside organization to conduct the monitoring. 
The UN's involvement is necessary, as they are the only ones 
capable of eliciting GOZ agreement to permit monitoring.  We 
would also specify that the outside contractor gather 
information from all available Zimbabwean sources as to the 
fairness and impartiality of food distribution. 
 
SULLIVAN