US embassy cable - 02HARARE1830

UNCLAS HARARE 001830 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF/S, AF/EX, CA FOR RHAWKINS 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JFRAZER 
LONDON FOR CGURNEY 
PARIS FOR CNEARY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, EAGR, ECON, ZI, Land Reform 
SUBJECT: FEW COMMERCIAL FARMERS EVICTED AS CFU PERCEIVES 
EXTENSION OF DEADLINE 
 
REF: A. A) HARARE 1827 
     B. B) HARARE 1822 
 
1. (U) Summary.  Pursuant to the August 9 deadline for the 
first wave of commercial farmers to abandon their homesteads, 
in one region police have confronted farmers on five separate 
properties, and in a second region another farmer faces 
forced eviction.  Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) president 
David Hasluck states that his organization is extrapolating a 
new August 31 deadline for vacating the homesteads, based on 
President Mugabe's speech at Monday's Heroes' Day 
commemoration.  Otherwise matters remain at an impasse.  End 
summary. 
 
2. (SBU) The four-day Heroes Day weekend, which followed the 
August 9 deadline for commercial farmers with compulsory 
acquisition notices to vacate their homesteads, passed with 
very few reports of GOZ action or confrontation.  The CFU now 
estimates that of the 4500 farms under notice of acquisition, 
only about 1300 had section 8 orders which "matured" on 
August 9, and that the number of farms with "mature" section 
8 orders would be increasing every day.  CFU president David 
Hasluck believes that while many owners had chosen to be 
absent (on holiday or for safety reasons) over the previous 
weekend, owners of approximately 2500 listed farms have 
refused to vacate their properties despite the deadline.  The 
hardline advocacy group Justice for Agriculture (JAG, reftel 
A), on the other hand, estimates that over 60% of the owners 
of 6022 listed farms, along with staff and families, have 
remained on their farms despite the August 9 deadline.  The 
discrepancies in the two sets of numbers result from the 
differences in unit numbers; while there are a total of 6148 
separate title deeds, of which 6022 are under some notice of 
acquisition, many farms consist of multiple title deeds, with 
the average running 1.5 title deeds per farm.  Nevertheless, 
JAG estimates that over 1.5 million people, mostly commercial 
farm workers and their families, are  affected by the 
overhanging uncertainty. 
 
3. (SBU) In the Middle Save area in southeastern Zimbabwe, a 
group of five farmers who are reportedly growing a winter 
wheat crop were visited twice over the long weekend by an 
eviction force comprising police and representatives of the 
local land committee.  According to David Hasluck, the newly 
appointed Zanu-PF member in charge of the Zimbabwe Republic 
Police (ZRP) in that area is being very aggressive in 
pursuing the perceived policies of his superiors.  While 
Hasluck was reluctant to use the words "forced off their 
land," he did concede that the CFU had agreed that the 
farmers in question should not remain resident on the land as 
of Monday, although they were urged to continue farming until 
they were forcibly prevented.  Additionally, in the Mazowe 
area approximately 30 km north of Harare, one farmer reported 
to the CFU that he is currently (1000 hours local time) 
facing an attempt at eviction, although it is not clear to 
the CFU whether that action is originating from police, GOZ 
officials, war vets, or settlers. 
 
4. (SBU) Hasluck stated that the CFU has extrapolated a "new" 
August 31 deadline for vacating homesteads from President 
Mugabe's Heroes Day speech on August 12 (septel), wherein 
Mugabe stated that newly settled farmers must be on their 
land by month's end in order to prepare the land for the 
coming season and the coming rains.  Hasluck believes that 
the policy of the GOZ -- to the extent that there is one -- 
is to keep the remaining farmers in a heightened state of 
uncertainty by forcing a few random evictions per week, while 
simultaneously hoping that the farmers give in to the 
increasing pressure and abandon their property of their own 
accord. 
 
5. (SBU) Comment: Despite Mugabe's continued insistence that 
there will be no going back on his chaotic land reform 
program, the CFU continues to grasp at any glimmer of 
reprieve that its members can discern.  Hasluck is likely 
correct in his assessment that evictions will occur in a 
random and representative fashion, although questions of who, 
when and how are yet to be answered.  End comment. 
WHITEHEAD