US embassy cable - 02HARARE2445

UNCLAS HARARE 002445 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, ZI 
SUBJECT: OFFICIAL JONGWE AUTOPSY RESULTS IDENTIFY POISONING 
AS CAUSE OF DEATH; POLICE SUGGEST SUICIDE 
 
REF: HARARE 2321 
 
 1.  (U) Learnmore Jongwe, former MDC spokesman and MP from 
Kuwadzana, died from chloroquine poisoning, according to the 
state run newspaper, The Herald. Jongwe was found dead in his 
prison cell early in the morning of October 22 (See Reftel). 
The police autopsy was performed on October 24.  The Jongwe 
family was able to delay the autopsy so that they could 
secure an independent expert from South Africa to witness the 
process and remove separate specimens for analysis.  The 
results of the independent autopsy were not known at the time 
of the Herald report but a police spokesman announced that 
the police were not interested in the independent findings. 
 
2.  (U) The police implied that Jongwe committed suicide 
because a small bottle with one pill was found near Jongwe's 
body at the time of death and there were pieces of white 
tablets in his vomit.  Jongwe allegedly tried to commit 
suicide earlier after allegedly fatally stabbing his wife in 
July.  The police spokesman announced on national television 
on November 7 that the anti-malaria drug, chloroquine, was 
often associated with suicide attempts. 
 
3.  (SBU) Nelson Chamisa, MDC National Youth Chairman and a 
close friend of Jongwe, told us that the Jongwe family was 
shocked with the government autopsy results.  They had not 
seen the results prior the announcement on ZBC on the evening 
of November 7.  According to Chamisa, the family still holds 
the government responsible for Jongwe,s death because he was 
in police custody at the time.  (We understand from separate 
sources that the South African pathologist's initial findings 
also indicated poisoning as the cause of death, but had not 
yet completed the separate autopsy.) COMMENT: Whatever the 
circumstances of Jongwe's death, it is extremely unlikely 
that most opposition supporters will accept that he died at 
his own hand. END COMMENT. 
SULLIVAN