US embassy cable - 02HARARE2127

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 002127 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR J. FRAZER 
LONDON FOR C. GURNEY 
PARIS FOR C. NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR T. PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2012 
TAGS: EAGR, PGOV, ZI 
SUBJECT: CORRUPTION IN LAND ACQUISITION 
 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Kimberly Jemison for Reasons 1.5(c) an 
d (d). 
 
1.  (U) SUMMARY: The Zimbabwe executive office issued a 
directive, circulated as a diplomatic note on 13 September, 
putatively intended to rein in over-zealous government 
officials in their acquisition of land. An independent press 
report, supported by the diplomatic note, and comments by 
Speaker of the Parliament Emmerson Mnangagwa, exposed the 
lack of control the ZANU-PF leadership has exercised over the 
distribution of land.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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ZANU-PF LEADERSHIP LITTLE CONTROL OVER PROCESS 
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2.  (U) In response to the actions of some of its party 
members over land acquisitions, the ZANU-PF executive office 
issued a directive to the Cabinet.  The problems are with 
some farmers losing their only farms and some ZANU-PF 
officials obtaining more than one farm.  The Embassy received 
a copy of a diplomatic note issued by the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs on September 13 from the Norwegian Embassy.  The 
diplomatic note subtly stated that Acting President Simon 
Muzenda had issued a directive to government officials that 
they must adhere to the one man-one farm policy.  The 
directive also stated that even Zimbabwean farmers of 
European descent are entitled to one farm, and that 
deviations from official policy must be discontinued. 
 
3.  (U) A Financial Gazette article on 19 September 
highlighted the extent of the lack of control the ZANU-PF 
leadership has had over the land process.  According to the 
article, ZANU-PF parliamentarians, cabinet members, and 
Politburo members have been defying President Mugabe,s 
directive of one man-one farm by capitalizing on white 
farmers, need for up-front cash and by creating black-owned 
agricultural companies as fronts for acquiring multiple 
farms.  Representatives from the agricultural firms approach 
farmers whose property has been listed and offer to buy the 
properties promptly as an alternative to waiting for 
government compensation.  The businessmen and ZANU-PF 
politicians then facilitate the de-listing of these 
properties because they are in the hands of blacks. 
According to the article, more than 20 white-owned farms have 
been acquired in this manner. 
 
4.  (U) Senior ZANU-PF Politburo member and Speaker of the 
Parliament Emmerson Mnangagwa, in a September 19 meeting with 
the Ambassador, expressed befuddlement over why the process 
was so chaotic in Mashonaland and Matabeleland North.  He 
commented that the policy is so clear--one man-one farm--that 
he cannot understand why people violate it and acquire more 
than one farm, or why some farmers were being left landless. 
The only rationale he offered for the situation was that the 
land is so rich people are just scrambling for it. 
 
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LAND REDISTRIBUTION WINDING DOWN 
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5.  (U) Also in the September 19 meeting, Mnangagwa said the 
land acquisition exercise was winding down and at the end of 
it all the government will have acquired between 10.6 and 
10.8 million hectares of land.  He insisted that most of the 
current problems with farms were occurring in Mashonaland and 
Matabeleland North and not in his province of Midlands or in 
Manicaland.  He also claimed that land acquisition was 
complete in Midlands and Manicaland with most of the 
infrastructure still intact.  For example, in Midlands, 311 
of the original 324 commercial farmers have remained and are 
providing assistance to newly settled farmers so production 
will not be reduced significantly.  Mnangagwa said of the 13 
who left, two were elderly couples whose children were living 
abroad.  He said the government assisted them in disposing of 
their farms.  Nine of the 13 farmers were not happy with the 
reduced farm sizes (from 5000 ha to 2000 ha) and opted to 
leave. 
 
6.  (C) COMMENT: The diplomatic note, Financial gazette 
article, and Mnangagwa,s musings about the chaotic land 
process suggest that the senior ZANU-PF leadership have had 
little control over the land redistribution process or are 
trying to convey this impression in order to avoid blame for 
the disastrous consequences.  The dip note is surprising in 
that the GOZ has not generally reprimanded its party members 
for their actions related to land policy.  Its circulation on 
the eve of the Commonwealth Troika meeting suggests a cynical 
ploy to acknowledge that the commitments made at the 
September 2001 Abuja meetings and in Mugabe's recent speeches 
have not been met, while showing what to do better.  It could 
be also part of a longer term plan to get international aid 
by showing that they are pursuing members who abuse their 
privileges with respect to land.  Whatever the motives, the 
GOZ has clearly encouraged chaos intended to drive commercial 
farmers off the land and has made minimal or no effort to 
control abuses at odds with their own commitments. 
SULLIVAN