US embassy cable - 03HARARE540

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000540 
 
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: RECENT CHURCH ACTIVISM INCLUDING MEDIATION OFFER 
BY CAPETOWN ARCHBISHOP 
 
REF: A. HARARE 323 
     B. HARARE 159 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Audu Besmer for reasons 1.5 b/d 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
1. (C) In recent weeks church leaders, including some from 
South Africa, have shown an increased willingness to speak 
out, and to organize events or meetings that draw attention 
to the political crisis in Zimbabwe.  We would welcome 
Pretoria's and Capetown's assessment of a serious mediation 
initiative by the Archbishop of Capetown.  The GOZ has 
responded in force to increased assertiveness by Zimbabwean 
clergy arresting, detaining, threatening and in one case 
beating a clergy member.  Though threatened, so far their 
activism has been a winning strategy.  It is unclear how long 
the GOZ will allow clergy members that little extra room to 
express dissent and mobilize parishioners, but their 
increased activism certainly poses a dilemma for the GOZ. 
End Summary. 
 
South African Archbishop Intervenes 
----------------------------------- 
2. (C) On March 12 the Anglican Archbishop of Capetown 
Njongonkulu Ndungane made his second visit to Zimbabwe in 
recent weeks and met separately with President Mugabe, MDC 
leader Morgan Tsvangirai, church leaders, and an range of 
prominent civic organizations.  Although the GOZ press 
insists that Ndungane is mediating between the GOZ and the 
UK, the Archbishop has made clear in both his public remarks 
and private meetings that Zimbabwe is facing a number of 
internal crises that must be resolved.  Both civil society 
leaders and the MDC were impressed by the Archbishop's 
understanding of events on the ground and the seriousness and 
objectivity he seemed to bring to his offer to mediate a 
sustainable resolution of Zimbabwe's political and economic 
crises.  In response to Ndungane's request, the MDC tapped 
Secretary General Welshman Ncube to be the point person for 
 
SIPDIS 
this mediation effort.  We were unable to meet with Ndungane 
and would welcome Pretoria's and Capetown's assessment of his 
initiative. 
 
19 Clergy Arrested While Delivering Petition 
-------------------------------------------- 
4. (U) Meanwhile, Zimbabwean church leaders are becoming more 
outspoken in their criticisms of political violence.  On 
February 28 nineteen clergy members from the Zimbabwe 
National Pastors' Conference (ZNPC) were arrested and 
detained for five hours in Harare when they tried to deliver 
a petition to Assistant Police Commissioner Mandeya (who had 
agreed beforehand to accept the petition) which urged the 
police force to respect the rights of all Zimbabweans.  As 
they approached the police station carrying wooden crosses 
they were surrounded by police in riot gear who banged batons 
on their trucks and sang, "It's been a long time since you 
were beaten" in Shona.  In a public statement, the Crisis in 
Zimbabwe Coalition, of which ZNPC is one of 350 member 
organizations, condemned the arrest and called for an 
immediate return to the rule of law. 
 
Prayer Meeting Highlights Victims of Torture 
-------------------------------------------- 
5. (U) On February 27 Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo 
Pius Ncube led a prayer service that featured victims of 
torture at St. Mary's Cathedral in Bulawayo.  Deborah Moyo 
gave a heart wrenching account, before collapsing with 
emotion, of her repeated gang rape by fellow recruits and 
superiors at a GOZ-sponsored Border Gezi youth training camp. 
 MDC MP Job Sikhala described his January 14 torture in which 
suspected CIO members administered on him electric shocks and 
urinated on him (Ref B). After the meeting, CIO officers 
approached and attempted to arrest Archbishop Ncube, but 
fellow ministers and bishops remained with him, offering some 
protection as witnesses.  CIO officers left, but returned the 
following day, as did Ncube's supporting clergy; the officers 
warned Ncube that the previous day's meeting was too 
political.  Ncube sleeps in different safe houses every 
night, but is worried about his elderly mother, whom CIO 
officers have also threatened. 
 
6. (U) On February 24 Archbishop Ncube led a protest at the 
Bulawayo cricket grounds just prior to the Cricket World Cup 
match between Australia and Zimbabwe.  In a statement Ncube 
criticized the Australian team for being unsympathetic to the 
plight of ordinary Zimbabweans by playing the match. 
 
Bishop Speaks Out Against POSA 
------------------------------ 
7. (U) In a late February statement entitled "POSA, an 
Unnecessary Evil Instrument and Totally Undemocratic", Dr. 
Sebastian Bakare, the Anglican Bishop of Manicaland and 
President of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, said he felt 
horrified to live in a community where people cannot engage 
in development programs for fear of being arrested.  He said 
that as long as the draconian Public Order and Security Act 
(POSA) is in force there is no chance for desperately needed 
political dialogue to address the polarized environment in 
Zimbabwe. 
 
"Walk for Love" Ends With One Clergy Beaten 
------------------------------------------- 
8. (U) On February 14 police arrested 14 people in Bulawayo, 
and about 50 in Harare during Valentine's Day "walks for 
love" organized by Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) that drew 
hundreds of participants in each city.  Most of the arrestees 
were women, but one clergyman, Fr. Nigel Johnson of the Roman 
Catholic Church in Bulawayo, was also arrested.  Witnesses 
reported that police handcuffed and then applied a chokehold 
on Johnson until he passed out and fell to the pavement. 
Later, at Bulawayo police station he was reportedly okay, 
albeit bruised and shaken up; the Bulawayo women, some 
elderly, spent the night in police cells.  The Crisis in 
Zimbabwe Coalition condemned the arrests and beating and 
called for a repeal of POSA, under which the arrests were 
made. 
 
ZRP Stymies Church Meeting - Emboff Detained 
-------------------------------------------- 
9. (U) On February 13 Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition organized 
a public meeting at the Northside Community Church in 
Borrowdale, Harare under the theme, "Is the Church Resolving 
or Deepening the Crisis" to have been addressed by Bishop 
Trevor Manhanga of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe. 
Police broke up the meeting before it started, chasing away 
30 or so people who had gathered.  Police punched in the face 
a well-known political scientist Dr. John Makumbe while he 
was handcuffed, and arrested 6 people including Bishop 
Manhanga, Makumbe and an Emboff (Ref A). 
 
Comment: 
-------- 
11. (C) Some church leaders are becoming more active, and 
more outspoken and the GOZ is matching their activism with an 
equivalent show of force.  So far their activism is a winning 
game.  But it is unclear how long the GOZ will allow clergy 
members that little extra room to express dissent and 
mobilize parishioners, and their increased activism certainly 
poses a dilemma for the GOZ.  We are encouraged by the 
seriousness of Archbishop Ndungane's mediation efforts; what 
they are able to accomplish will depend in large measure on 
Mugabe's willingness to discuss internal issues, as opposed 
to his usual bogeyman; the GOZ-UK relationship.  End Comment. 
SULLIVAN