WAR VETERANS REACT TO LAND EVICTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 004695 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/05 TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS ZI CG SUBJECT: WAR VETERANS REACT TO LAND EVICTIONS REF: HARARE 4662 CLASSIFIED BY AMB. TOM MCDONALD. REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 04695 01 OF 02 241456Z (D). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) POLICE HAVE EVICTED WAR VETERANS FROM A NUMBER OF FARMS THIS WEEK, PROMPTING TWO DEMONSTRATIONS BY THE VETERANS THROUGH DOWNTOWN HARARE. EVICTIONS WERE CONTINUING ON AUGUST 24, DESPITE AN UNCONFIRMED PRESS REPORT THAT THE CABINET HAD CALLED A HALT TO THE POLICE ACTIONS. THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS UNION WAS ENCOURAGED BY THE DEVELOPMENTS, BUT RESERVED JUDGMENT ON WHETHER THEY WOULD CONTINUE. THE CFU WITHDREW ITS COURT ACTION AGAINST THE PRESIDENT AND OTHERS IN ORDER TO PRESERVE A CHANNEL OF DIALOGUE WITH THE GOZ, AND IS NOW TRYING TO FIND FINANCING TO ENABLE FARMERS TO PROCEED WITH THE PLANTING SEASON, BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 1. WHETHER THE EVICTIONS CONTINUE WILL INDICATE WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT IS SERIOUS ABOUT ENDING THE OCCUPATIONS AND RESTORING THE RULE OF LAW. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) AFTER POLICE EVICTED HUNDREDS OF WAR VETERANS FROM FOUR FARMS NEAR HARARE ON AUGUST 22, WAR VETERANS TOOK TO THE STREETS IN THE CAPITAL ON AUGUST 23 AND 24 TO PROTEST THE POLICE ACTION. IN ADDITION TO THE EVICTIONS REPORTED IN REFTEL, POLICE ON AUGUST 22 MOVED HUNDREDS OF ENCAMPED WAR VETERANS OFF OF FOUR FARMS IN KAMBUZUMA TOWNSHIP ON HARARE'S OUTSKIRTS AND TORE DOWN THEIR NEARLY COMPLETED CINDERBLOCK HOMES. OTHER WOODEN STRUCTURES WERE BURNED. STATE-RUN MEDIA WIDELY PUBLICIZED THE ACTION, WHICH THEY SAID HAD BEEN ORDERED CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 04695 01 OF 02 241456Z BY HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER JOHN NKOMO. ON AUGUST 23, ABOUT 200 WAR VETERANS PROTESTED IN FRONT OF NKOMO'S OFFICE, DENOUNCING HIS ACTION WITH PLACARDS AND CHANTS. THE PROTESTERS PROCEEDED TO PARLIAMENT AND THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE BEFORE DISPERSING. ¶3. (U) ON AUGUST 24, THE NORMALLY VITRIOLIC INFORMATION MINISTER JONATHAN MOYO ISSUED A RELATIVELY MILD STATEMENT OF "REGRET" FOR MONDAY'S POLICE ACTION, CRITICIZING THE POLICE METHODS BUT NOT THE EVICTIONS THEMSELVES. MOYO FURTHER STATED THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD SEEK TO PROVIDE COMPENSATION FOR THE SQUATTERS WHOSE MAKESHIFT HOMES WERE DESTROYED. SEVERAL HUNDRED WAR VETERANS TOOK TO HARARE'S STREETS AGAIN ON AUGUST 24, MOVING DOWN SAMORA MICHEL AVENUE IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING HOUSING THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE AND THE FOREIGN MINISTRY. POLOFFS WERE IN THE BUILDING AT THE TIME AND COULD CLEARLY HEAR THE VETERANS' SONGS AND CHANTS, SUGGESTING ZIMBABWE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ARE HEARING THEM AS WELL. ¶4. (U) THE INDEPENDENT "FINANCIAL GAZETTE" REPORTED THAT AFTER A CABINET MEETING AUGUST 23, THE GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO END FURTHER POLICE ACTIONS AGAINST SQUATTERS. THE GAZETTE SUGGESTED THAT THE MEETING WAS HELD AFTER WAR VETERANS COMPLAINED TO MUGABE DIRECTLY UPON HIS AUGUST 22 RETURN FROM MAPUTO AND THAT A NUMBER OF UNNAMED CABINET MEMBERS WERE UNHAPPY WITH THE POLICE'S HEAVY-HANDED APPROACH. WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO CONFIRM THE GAZETTE'S REPORT OF THE CABINET DECISION, AND IN FACT WERE INFORMED BY THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS UNION (CFU) CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 04695 01 OF 02 241456Z THAT SQUATTER EVICTIONS ARE UNDERWAY ON AUGUST 24 ON FARMS IN MASHONALAND EAST AND MASHONALAND WEST PROVINCES. ¶5. (C) CFU DIRECTOR DAVID HASLUCK TOLD POLOFF ON AUGUST 23 HE WAS ENCOURAGED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S ACTIONS, BUT RESERVED JUDGMENT ON WHETHER THE EVICTIONS WOULD CONTINUE. HE SAID THE GOZ HAD INFORMED THE CFU EARLIER IN THE WEEK THAT ALL WAR VETERANS WOULD BE REMOVED FROM OCCUPIED FARMS WITHIN 10 DAYS, SCREENED, AND ASSIGNED TO FARMS IDENTIFIED FOR COMPULSORY ACQUISITION. NOTING THAT EARLY SEPTEMBER IS A CRITICAL TIME FOR TOBACCO PLANTING, HASLUCK SAID THE CFU IS TRYING TO CONVINCE FARMERS NOT ON THE LIST OF 1,033 ALREADY IDENTIFIED TO PROCEED WITH PLANTING, AND IS WORKING FRANTICALLY TO SECURE FINANCING FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT. HASLUCK INFORMED POLOFF THAT THE CFU HAD WITHDRAWN ITS COURT ACTION AGAINST PRESIDENT MUGABE, POLICE COMMISSIONER CHIHURI, AND WAR VETERANS LEADER HUNZVI IN THE HOPE THAT THIS WOULD ENSURE CONTINUED DIALOGUE WITH THE GOVERNMENT. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: THE EVENTS OF THE LAST FEW DAYS INDICATE THAT THE GOZ IS STILL TRYING TO COME TO GRIPS CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ2714 PAGE 01 HARARE 04695 02 OF 02 241456Z ACTION AF-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 FAAE-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SSO-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 R-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-01 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 SWCI-00 /007W -------------- 7D97B2 241457Z /38 O 241454Z AUG 00 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6926 INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 004695 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/05 TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS ZI CG SUBJECT: WAR VETERANS REACT TO LAND EVICTIONS WITH ENDING THE FARM OCCUPATIONS IN A WAY THAT IS PALATABLE TO THOSE SYMPATHETIC TO THE WAR VETERANS. IT IS STILL VERY UNCLEAR WHETHER THE GOZ WILL BE SUCCESSFUL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 04695 02 OF 02 241456Z IN THIS EFFORT. THE POLICE ACTIONS AND THEIR WIDESPREAD COVERAGE IN THE STATE-RUN MEDIA HAVE CROSSED THE LINE WITH SOME IN GOVERNMENT. MOYO'S MILD STATEMENT AND OFFER FOR COMPENSATION, AND THE CONTINUING EVICTIONS IN SOME RURAL AREAS COULD BE A SIGN THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS NOT ABANDONED THE IDEA OF ENDING THE OCCUPATIONS ALTOGETHER. WHETHER THE EVICTIONS CONTINUE OR NOT IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND WEEKS WILL INDICATE HOW SERIOUS THE GOVERNMENT IS ABOUT ENDING THE FARM OCCUPATIONS AND RESTORING THE RULE OF LAW. MCDONALD CONFIDENTIAL >