Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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00HARARE5460 | 2000-09-27 14:59:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Harare |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. 271459Z Sep 00 CONFIDENTIAL PTQ2526 PAGE 01 HARARE 05460 01 OF 02 271458Z ACTION AF-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 SMEC-00 INL-00 DINT-00 DODE-00 DOEE-00 WHA-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 EUR-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 LAB-01 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 IRM-00 SSO-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-01 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /008W ------------------8A8DF2 271458Z /38 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7210 INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE |
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 005460 |
1. (C) ON SEPTEMBER 27 THE BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION HERE SHARED WITH US THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE, CLASSIFIED "CONFIDENTIAL" AND SENT SEPTEMBER 22, CONCERNING MDC- SPONSORED MASS ACTION IN ZIMBABWE. PLEASE PROTECT THE SOURCE. MARK LYALL GRANT, REFERRED TO IN PARA. 2, IS A SENIOR OFFICER IN THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE'S AFRICA DEPARTMENT. BEGIN TEXT: SUMMARY MDC OPPOSITION PARTY PREPARING FOR MASS ACTION NEXT MONTH. PROBABLY LONG-RUNNING GENERAL STRIKE. MEMBERSHIP BEING PREPARED THROUGH MPS' OUTREACH MEETINGS. FORMAL NOTICE WILL BE DELIVERED AT MASS RALLY ON SEPTEMBER 30. PARTY LEADERS ANTICIPATE VIOLENT GOVERNMENT RESPONSE. DETAIL WITH LYALL GRANT (VISITING) I HAD SEPARATE MEETINGS ON SEPTEMBER 20 AND 21 WITH MDC LEADER MORGAN TSVANGIRAI AND HIS DEPUTY, GIBSON SIBANDA, WHO IS ALSO PARTY LEADER IN PARLIAMENT. OUR CALLS FOLLOWED CLOSELY ON THE POLICE RAIDS ON THE PARTY OFFICES AND THE STATEMENT BY HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER NKOMO THAT WEAPONS AND INCRIMINATING PAPERS HAD BEEN FOUND. WE ASKED THEM TO EXPAND ON TSVANGIRAI'S PASSING REFERENCES TO MASS ACTION IN HIS REMARKS TO THE PRESS CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 05460 01 OF 02 271458Z AFTER NKOMO'S STATEMENT. TSVANGIRAI SAID THE PRESSURE FROM THE MEMBERSHIP AND THE PUBLIC AT LARGE FOR DIRECT ACTION WAS HUGE. THE GOVERNMENT'S REFUSAL TO BUDGE FROM PRE-ELECTION POSITIONS HAD CREATED ANGER AND FRUSTRATION. MUGABE HAD PUSHED THE PEOPLE TO THE POINT WHERE MASS ACTION WAS "NOT NEGOTIABLE". PLANNING WAS WELL ADVANCED. THE CORE FEATURE WOULD BE A SNAP GENERAL STRIKE. MDC LEADERS ARE STILL UNDECIDED ON ITS DURATION, BUT ONE OPTION DESCRIBED BY SIBANDA WAS TO KEEP IT GOING UNTIL MUGABE IS FORCED OUT OF OFFICE. THE PLAN IS FOR ALL MDC MEMBERS AND LIKE-MINDED PARTIES TO WORK AS NORMAL UNTIL LUNCHTIME ON A SPECIFIED DAY, RETURN TO THEIR HOMES AND NOT COME BACK. NEITHER TSVANGIRAI NOR SIBANDA MENTIONED A DATE, BUT THE MESSAGE WILL BE SPELLED OUT IN PLAIN TERMS AT CROSS- COUNTRY RALLIES TO BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 30 TO MARK THE MDC'S FIRST ANNIVERSARY. THE STRIKE WILL BEGIN WITHIN ONE OR TWO WEEKS OF THAT EVENT. TSVANGIRAI HAS CANCELLED A VISIT TO BRUSSELS PLANNED FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER. MDC MPS AND OFFICIALS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ALERTING CONSTITUENTS TO THE PLANS FOR MASS ACTION. WITH PARLIAMENT IN RECESS SINCE YESTERDAY, THEY WILL BE STEPPING UP THEIR ACTIVITIES NATIONWIDE IN PREPARATION FOR SEPTEMBER 30. IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER THE STRIKE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY PLANNED RALLIES AND DEMONSTRATIONS, BUT SPONTANEOUS CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 05460 01 OF 02 271458Z ACTION, PARTICULARLY IN THE HIGH-DENSITY AREAS IS NOT UNLIKELY. TSVANGIRAI AND SIBANDA BELIEVE THAT THE GOVERNMENT WILL CRACK DOWN ON THE MOVEMENT WITH ALL THE MEANS AT THEIR DISPOSAL - VIOLENCE, TEARGAS, ARRESTS, THE WHOLE PANOPLY OF THE POLICE STATE. TSVANGIRAI IS CONFIDENT THAT THIS WILL NOT BREAK THE MOMENTUM. HE SAID THE ACTION WOULD BE MASSIVE AND COUNTRYWIDE: THE SECURITY FORCES SIMPLY DID NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES TO CONTAIN IT. HE ADDED THAT ONCE THE ACTION HAD BEGUN, IT WAS UNLIKELY THAT HE WOULD BE ABLE TO CONTROL IT. COMMENT THE MASS ACTION AS DESCRIBED BY THE TWO MDC LEADERS HAS BEEN IN GESTATION FOR SOME TIME. THEIR ACCOUNT CONFIRMS THE REPORTS WE HAVE BEEN GETTING OF MDC PLANNING SESSIONS AND WELL-ATTENDED PREPARATORY MEETINGS IN THE HARARE CONSTITUENCIES. THE STRATEGY IS A RESPONSE TO THE INCREASING ANGER OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO THE SEVERE HARDSHIP OF LIFE IN ZIMBABWE AND THEIR FRUSTRATION AT WHAT THEY SEE AS THE GOVERNMENT'S REFUSAL TO BUDGE FROM THE POLICIES AND ATTITUDES WHICH BROUGHT THIS ABOUT. TSVANGIRAI CAN EXPECT MASSIVE SUBSTANTIAL IN THE CITIES SIPDIS AND MATABELELAND, BUT A KEY FACTOR WILL BE THE RESPONSE CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ2527 PAGE 01 HARARE 05460 02 OF 02 271458Z ACTION AF-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 SMEC-00 DINT-00 DODE-00 DOEE-00 WHA-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 EUR-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 LAB-01 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 IRM-00 SSO-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-01 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /008W -------------------------- 8A8DFD 271459Z /38 O 271459Z SEP 00 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7211 INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 005460 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY E.O. 12958: DECL: 1.6X5,6 TAGS: PGOV ELAB PINS ZI SUBJECT: MORGAN TSVANGIRAI INFORMS BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION OF MASS ACTION PLANS IN THE RURAL AREAS. HE AND SIBANDA DESCRIBED MASS TURNOUTS AT RECENT MDC RALLIES IN COMMUNITIES WHICH WERE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 05460 02 OF 02 271458Z SERIOUSLY HIT BY PRE-ELECTION VIOLENCE AND RETURNED ZANU-PF MS. TSVANGIRAI HAS NO DOUBT THAT THE CALL FOR ACTION WILL SWEEP THE COUNTRY. IT IS HIGH RISK. MUGABE'S INSTINCT WILL BE TO RESPOND WITH THE USUAL BATTERIES OF RIOT POLICE SUPPORTED BY THE MILITARY. HE WILL WISH TO PUT DOWN THE ACTION IN ITS EARLY STAGES AND PROBABLY USE IT AS A PRETEXT TO SEIZE THE MDC LEADERSHIP. AN IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR HIM IS WHETHER SUCH A TACTIC WILL ALSO REVERSE THE GROUNDSWELL AGAINST HIM WITHIN ZANU-PF OR WHETHER POTENTIAL DISSIDENTS AND CHALLENGERS WILL RALLY BEHIND HIM IN THE FACE OF A COMMON THREAT. WE NEED TO CONSIDER HOW TO RESPOND TO A POSSIBLY EXTENDED PERIOD OF CIVIL STRIFE AND ASSOCIATED REPRESSION. IN THE MEANTIME WE ARE REDRAFTING OUR TRAVEL ADVICE TO ALERT VISITORS TO POSSIBLE TROUBLE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SEPTEMBER 30 RALLIES. END TEXT. MCDONALD CONFIDENTIAL > |