US embassy cable - 02HARARE2783

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 002783 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/S, AF/PD, DS/OP/AF 
 
PRETORIA AND JOHANNESBURG FOR EMBOFF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC, PREL, KPAO, ZI 
SUBJECT: AMERICAN JOURNALISTS ACCOSTED BY ANGRY RULING 
PARTY SUPPORTERS 
 
  1.     Summary:  On December 7 two journalists, 
     including an Amcit and a South African citizen, were 
     surrounded, detained and lightly roughed up by a group 
     of about 30 ZANU-PF supporters.   The incident 
     occurred at a shopping center in Harare's upper-middle 
     class Newlands neighborhood as the journalists were 
     interviewing and photographing people waiting in line 
     for bread at a retail bakery.  At Emboff's urging, 
     members of the Zimbabwean Republic Police (ZRP) took 
     the journalists to a nearby police station.  In a 30- 
     minute session at the police station, the officer in 
     charge refused demands by the ruling party supporters 
     to arrest the journalists and seize their cameras. 
     The officer in charge took names and contact details 
     of the journalists and Emboff, stated that the ZRP 
     would investigate the incident, and released the 
     journalists.  This incident illustrates growing 
     tensions in Zimbabwe, the potential for confrontations 
     provoked by ruling party supporters even in urban 
     areas, and the relatively low "flashpoint" for such 
     incidents in Zimbabwe today.   End Summary. 
 
  2.   Saturday morning, December 7, an Amcit journalist and 
     a South African photojournalist (they have asked not to be 
     named) were interviewing and taking photographs of 
     Zimbabweans waiting in line to buy bread at a retail bakery 
     in the Newlands shopping center in an upper middle class 
     Harare suburb.  Neither the people in the bread line nor a 
     passing police officer expressed any objection to the 
     journalists' presence.  The journalists were accredited by 
     the Government of Zimbabwe (having paid the US$100 
     application and US$500 registration fees) and were carrying 
     the GoZ-issued media accreditation documents that give them 
     permission to be in Zimbabwe until January 5, 2003. 
 
  3.   Within a few minutes of their arrival at the bread 
     line, a hostile, roughly 30-year old man, who apparently 
     believed he had the right to make a "citizen's arrest," 
     accosted the two journalists.  He attempted to relieve the 
     photographer of his cameras, claiming that the journalists 
     were violating citizens' right to privacy, were violating 
     Zimbabwean sovereignty, and were intending to damage 
     Zimbabwe by publishing photographs and articles that would 
     "make it appear that there are problems here."  Within a 
     few minutes a crowd of about 30 hostile young men 
     surrounded the two journalists.   Angrily shouted comments 
     from the crowd indicated its adherence to government 
     opinions about the western media's role in helping to 
     create Zimbabwe's current difficulties.  The journalists 
     were pushed and shoved, some in the crowd attempted to 
     steal the photographer's cameras, and the photographer was 
     slapped on the head and shoulders two or three times. 
     There were no injuries. 
 
  4.   The group of young men wanted to take the reporters 
     into an empty field near the shopping center, saying that 
     they were going to a police station.  The reporters held 
     their ground, and were able to call Emboff and Zimbabwe 
     Republic Police (ZRP).  Emboff informed the RSO of the 
     incident in progress and then drove to the shopping center, 
     about 5 minutes from his residence.  Emboff arrived at the 
     shopping center shortly after the ZRP and found the two 
     journalists, now joined by another Amcit journalist (also 
     properly accredited), standing next to a police vehicle and 
     surrounded by approximately 30 agitated young men.  The 
     incident had become something of a spectacle and was 
     attracting a larger crowd.  Emboff spoke with the police 
     officer in charge of the vehicle and urged that he defuse 
     the situation by taking the journalists to the nearest 
     police station.  The ZRP officer agreed and Emboff said he 
     would follow in his own car.  Two of the journalists and 
     three of the "complainants" traveled to the police station 
     in the ZRP vehicle.  Emboff and the third journalist 
     followed. 
 
  5.   The group went to the nearby Tomlinson Depot police 
     station and was shown into the office of Superintendent J. 
     Chani, Officer in Command of the Diplomatic Protection 
     Unit.  Superintendent Chani listened to both sides of the 
     story, including a great deal of bluster and bad 
     information from the "complainants," and stated he could 
     not see that any crime had been committed.  To mollify the 
     "complainants," he took the names and contact details of 
     the 3 journalists and the Emboff, said that he would 
     investigate the incident and that if there were any charges 
     to be filed, he would be able to contact the journalists 
     through the Emboff.  The journalists and Emboff spent about 
     30 minutes at the police station, most of that time 
     dedicated to the xenophobic diatribes of the 
     "complainants."  These people either truly believed, or 
     were paid to believe, Government of Zimbabwe propaganda 
     about a western conspiracy to damage Zimbabwe.  Even though 
     the "complainants" remained angry and wanted the ZRP to 
     seize the cameras as "evidence," Superintendent Chani gave 
     Emboff permission to depart with the journalists. 
 
  6.   Comment:  Although this incident pales in comparison 
     to the sort of mob rule experienced by thousands of 
     Zimbabweans since February 2000, it is noteworthy that this 
     is the first time that international journalists have 
     seriously been threatened by ruling party supporters in 
     Harare.  Up until this incident, international journalists 
     were aware of the dangers of vigilantism in rural areas but 
     believed that they could work freely in Harare.  We believe 
     this incident demonstrates a rising level of desperation 
     and anger among unemployed young men.  It also shows how 
     easily these frustrations can be converted into ruling 
     party-tinged hostility against outsiders, especially 
     foreign journalists. 
 
  7.   Comment continued: The journalists involved in this 
     incident do not want the USG to make an issue of it.  They 
     are concerned that raising the profile of the incident 
     could make it even more difficult, if not impossible, for 
     them to work in Zimbabwe.  Given the extraordinary 
     difficulty of getting permission to work here, they prefer 
     not to risk expulsion or banishment.   The reporters do, 
     however, agree that the incident marks an escalation of the 
     level of tension in Zimbabwe and a departure from the 
     relative freedom international journalists have had to work 
     in Harare and other major urban areas.  End comment. 
 
WHITEHEAD