US embassy cable - 03HARARE1101

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 001101 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR J. FRAZER 
LONDON FOR C. GURNEY 
PARIS FOR C. NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR T. PFLAUMER 
BANGKOK FOR WIN DAYTON 
DS/OP/AF 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PINR, ASEC, ZI 
SUBJECT: STAYAWAY SUCCESSFUL, DEMONSTRATIONS QUELLED - DAY 
ONE OF MDC PLANNED MASS ACTION 
 
REF: A. HARARE 1097 
     B. HARARE 1081 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Audu Besmer for reasons 1.5 b/d 
 
Summary: 
-------- 
 
1. (C) The MDC planned stayaway has been largely successful 
with 80 - 95% of shops and businesses closed on June 2 in 
Harare and Bulawayo.  There was very visible police and 
military presence in both cities starting on May 31, with 
several arrests and a few reports of beatings.  ZANU-PF 
members distributed leaflets throughout Harare encouraging 
people to go to work, and the police obtained a High Court 
ruling on May 31 outlawing the mass action.  Police arrested 
and released MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai.  GOZ forceful 
counter measures have succeeded in preventing demonstrations 
so far, and leave Mugabe as entrenched as ever after day one 
of this mass action, albeit sitting on an increasingly 
fragile economic and political situation.  End Summary. 
 
Riot Police Disperse Students 
----------------------------- 
 
2. (U) By about 11:00 a.m. riot police with shields and 
helmets had dispersed a few hundred students at the 
University of Zimbabwe campus with tear gas.  Gate guards at 
the University's several entrances refused to allow any 
vehicles to enter campus citing the disturbance, and police 
later confined students to their dormitories.  According to a 
student organizer, the students planned to assemble on campus 
and march to the city center to join with marchers. 
 
Two Deaths? 
----------- 
 
3. (U) There were several unconfirmed reports that police 
shot at least three people at a demonstration in the 
high-density suburb of Highfield.  Two were reportedly 
killed; one was wounded and is said to be currently receiving 
treatment at a local clinic. 
 
Intimidating Police and Military Presence 
----------------------------------------- 
 
4. (C) During the morning of June 2 there were several other 
reports that hundreds and sometimes even thousands of people 
were gathering at various locations in the Harare area in 
order to demonstrate.  Poloffs investigated several of these 
locations as the reports surfaced and found no increased 
crowds present.  At some of these locations there were 
significant police presences. 
 
5. (C) Over the weekend May 31 - June 1 convoys of tanks and 
military vehicles were seen traveling around various areas of 
Harare.  According to MDC Presidential Advisor Gandi 
Mudzingwa, the vehicles, loaded with soldiers, would 
generally travel around the high-density suburbs at night and 
return to their barracks during the day.  Emboffs observed 
mounted police patrols during daylight hours on both May 31 
and June 2. 
 
6. (C) Poloffs observed groups of 5 - 8 police officers on 
many blocks throughout downtown Harare in the morning of June 
2.  In Africa Unity Square, the proposed location of a 
demonstration, Poloffs observed a group of at least 15 
officers.  RSO later observed police beating about 30 - 40 
people they had detained and had ordered to lay face down on 
the sidewalk near the Square.  According to Mudzingwa, the 
MDC had planned a large demonstration at the Square, but had 
subsequently canceled it because transport was not 
functioning to bring enough attendees into town. 
 
Disturbances Downtown 
--------------------- 
 
7. (C) During clashes with what appeared to be MDC youth, 
police in downtown Harare fired tear gas in the morning of 
June 2.  The Embassy's PAS office, located near the MDC's 
headquarters, was contemplating closure at midday on June 2 
due to these disturbances, but ultimately remained open. 
Also located downtown, the Swedish Embassy closed at 
mid-morning on June 2 due to similar fears. 
 
Bulawayo: Demonstrators Dispersed, Stayaway Successful 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
8. (SBU) According to Sheba Dube, head of the Bulawayo 
chapter of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), in Bulawayo, 
police were present since the early hours of June 2 at 
Queen's Park in the downtown area - the site of a planned 
demonstration.  Although about 200 people did gather police 
reportedly disbursed the crowd beating several people in the 
process.  Police also arrested about ten MDC officials and 
activists from around the Bulawayo area on June 1 - 2; many 
were still in custody in the afternoon of June 2. 
 
9. (SBU) Dube reported that many shops and businesses in 
Bulawayo were reportedly closed in the morning, but some 
grocery stores opened in the afternoon of June 2.  In general 
more than 80% of businesses remained closed with very light 
pedestrian and vehicle traffic present in downtown Bulawayo. 
 
GOZ Counter-Measures 
-------------------- 
 
10. (U) In addition to obtaining the May 31 High Court ruling 
outlawing the planned mass action, the GOZ also printed and 
distributed leaflets encouraging Zimbabweans to ignore the 
stayaway.  In the days before the mass action, the government 
press reported that the GOZ would revoke business licenses of 
companies that did not open and that anyone demonstrating 
would be defying the High Court order.  The GOZ propaganda 
machine also gave major publicity to war-vet threats to 
demonstrators. 
 
Police Arrest MDC Leaders 
------------------------- 
 
11. (U) In addition to the arrest of MDC President Morgan 
Tsvangirai on the morning of June 2, around midday police 
 
SIPDIS 
arrested MDC Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, Tendai Biti. 
Tsvangirai was charged with contempt of court for going ahead 
 
SIPDIS 
with the mass action, there was no confirmation of charges 
against Biti at the time of writing.  Police actually 
released Tsvangirai so that he could attend his treason trial 
at 10:00 on June 2.  There were unconfirmed reports that a 
few MDC officials in Bulawayo, and a few MDC MPs in Harare 
were also arrested. 
 
Stayaway Successful 
------------------- 
 
12. (SBU) Although there were a fair number of people milling 
around downtown Harare on the morning of June 2, Poloffs saw 
almost no shops open, and only a handful of business open. 
Some public busses were running but the commuter bus pick-up 
areas had about 15% of the normal crowd present.  Other 
Emboffs traveled around downtown Harare on the afternoon of 
June 2 and found almost no one present. 
 
Comment: 
-------- 
 
13. (C) By deploying tanks and other intimidating military 
hardware and personnel in the Harare area, the GOZ has 
succeeded so far in quashing nascent gatherings that could 
turn into marches or demonstrations before they have really 
gained momentum.  The MDC is likely to claim victory for the 
stayaway and for the gatherings that were supposed to be 
demonstrations, but nothing has yet happened on a massive 
scale that would boost public confidence that the time is 
shortening for the Mugabe regime.  While it is likely the 
stayaway will continue for a few more days, and 
demonstrations are still possible, the GOZ has demonstrated 
on day one, for its part, that it will use whatever force is 
necessary to assure that no serious threat to its power can 
gain momentum.  End Comment. 
SULLIVAN