US embassy cable - 03HARARE42

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000042 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR J. FRAZER 
LONDON FOR C. GURNEY 
PARIS FOR C. NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR T. PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/01/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, ASEC, ZI 
SUBJECT: GOZ ESCALATES PRESSURE ON MDC MAYORS 
 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Audu Besmer for reasons 1.5 b/d 
 
Summary: 
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1. (C) On January 6 and 7 the government-owned The Herald 
reported that the GOZ would soon appoint governors for the 
cities of Harare and Bulawayo.  The move comes amid a general 
GOZ campaign to discredit, obstruct, or supersede MDC mayors 
and city councils.  The GOZ's strategy could be risky, as the 
MDC's five mayors nationwide were elected with comfortable 
margins by voters who are growing more desperate by the day. 
End Summary. 
 
GOZ Appointees for MDC Strongholds 
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2. (C) On January 6 and 7 the government-owned The Herald 
reported that the GOZ would soon appoint governors for the 
cities of Harare and Bulawayo.  Until now, only rural 
provinces have had governors.  Minister of Local Government 
Ignatius Chombo said that President Mugabe's declaration to 
this effect was gazetted on January 3, however according to 
the city of Harare Chief Public Relations Officer, Cuthbert 
Rwazemba, the city has not yet received official 
notification.  Harare and Bulawayo, which are legally 
considered provinces under the 1980 Provincial Councils Act, 
would be divided into eight and five districts respectively. 
Until now the status as provinces of these urban centers was 
only relevant for administrative purposes during elections. 
Chombo said the mayors of Bulawayo and Harare would "have 
specific duties to perform under their governors" and the 
legal modalities for this structure had already been worked 
out.  Rwazemba expects the GOZ will also appoint district 
administrators (DA) for the new districts, and said the moves 
are being seen as a GOZ effort to curtail the power of the 
MDC in urban areas. 
 
3. (U) The Constitution limits the number of presidentially 
appointed governors sitting in Parliament to the existing 
eight. It is unclear how the GOZ will provide Parliamentary 
seats to the two new governors, although, Chombo said he was 
confident that Minister of Justice--and ZANU-PF leader in the 
Parliament--Patrick Chinamasa would find a solution. 
 
MDC Mayor Besieged by ZANU-PF Youth 
----------------------------------- 
4. (C) This latest move comes as part of a concerted GOZ 
campaign to harass and obstruct mayors elected on MDC 
tickets.  On November 29 about forty ZANU-PF youths, 
including at least two Chegutu municipal workers attacked 
Chegutu Mayor, Francis Dhlakama, in his office.  The 
attackers accused Dhlakama of insulting Phineas Mariyapera, 
the deputy mayor.  The crowd also assaulted a police officer 
who attempted to assist Dhlakama during the assault, and 
punctured three tires on Dhlakama's official vehicle.  The 
assailants used axes, iron bars, golf clubs, fire 
extinguishers, and rocks to break into the Mayor's offices in 
the attempt to get at the Mayor.  A computer, carpet and 
documents were damaged in the siege.  (Note: Fearing for 
their safety, Dhlakama subsequently approached the Ambassador 
requesting assistance to send his family abroad so he could 
continue his work.  Poloff arranged with the Konrad Adenauer 
Foundation, and Amani Trust, a local human rights 
organization, to send the family to Capetown for a few 
months.  End Note.) 
 
Minister Spars Publicly with MDC Mayor 
-------------------------------------- 
5. (U) In what has become a running attack publicized in the 
government-owned press Minister of Local Government Ignatius 
Chombo has criticized the Mayor of Harare, Elias Mudzuri, for 
allegedly politicizing the water shortage in Harare, for 
obstructing housing development, for hiring opposition 
supporters, and most recently for politicizing city 
contracts.  Mudzuri has fought back with equal strength in 
the independent press accusing Chombo of similar offenses, 
and challenging him to a televised debate, a challenge Chombo 
has yet to accept. 
 
6. (U) In a more significant move, Chombo has appointed a 
temporary commission charged with helping Mudzuri develop a 
"turnaround plan" for Harare.  This action was widely 
interpreted as an attempt to undermine Mudzuri, who was 
beginning to make noticeable improvements to the city's 
roads, streetlights, and traffic signals. 
 
City Councils Refuse Order to Report to DAs 
------------------------------------------- 
7. (U) The Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ), an 
association of urban mayors and council chairpersons, met on 
November 6 in Harare to discuss an October 4 notice from the 
Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National 
Housing.  The notice, addressed to urban mayors, requested 
that mayors provide meeting schedules and minutes to their 
respective government-appointed district administrators (DA) 
so that DAs could attend their meetings.  The notice also 
reminds mayors that the Ministry of Local Government is 
mandated by the Urban Councils Act to monitor and supervise 
the affairs of local authorities in Zimbabwe.  UCAZ members 
were adamantly against the order and delivered a response to 
the Ministry of Local Government refusing to comply. 
Comment: 
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8. (C) These physical and verbal attacks, and moves to 
supersede mayors with government appointments and new 
authority structures, illustrate a GOZ strategy to reassert 
control in urban constituencies that fell to the MDC in 
recent elections.  The MDC's five mayors provide the only 
opportunity for the opposition party to demonstrate that it 
can govern well, and the GOZ appears increasingly determined 
to ensure that does not happen.  This is a risky strategy for 
the GOZ, however, as three of the MDC's five mayors--those in 
Harare, Bulawayo, and Chitungwiza--were elected by 
overwhelming margins and their constituents are growing 
angrier and more desperate by the day.  Minister Chombo is 
legally entitled to remove a mayor from office, but we 
suspect such a move would be held in abeyance as a last 
resort.  End Comment. 
SULLIVAN