TENSIONS ON COMMERCIAL FARMS CONTINUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 005838

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH
USDOC FOR DHENKE-ROGERS
LONDON FOR CGURNEY
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS
PASS USAID FOR AFR/SD - DWELLER, AFR/SA - CPALMA,
NNEWMAN, AA/AFR - VDERRYCK, AND A/AID - RMCCALL

USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER

E.O. 12958: DECL 09/20/10
CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02 HARARE 05838 01 OF 02 131204Z
TAGS: PHUM PGOV EAGR PREL EAID ZI
SUBJECT: TENSIONS ON COMMERCIAL FARMS CONTINUE


CLASSIFIED BY CDA EARL IRVING. REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: THE SITUATION ON COMMERCIAL FARMS
REMAINS TENSE, WITH NEW OCCUPATIONS AND FEW EVICTIONS OF
LONG-STANDING SQUATTERS BEING CARRIED OUT. THE ACTIONS
OF THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE (GOZ) AND THE ZIMBABWE
REPUBLIC POLICE (ZRP) CONTINUE TO BE INCONSISTENT AND
INCOHERENT. COMMERCIAL FARMERS HAVE MANAGED TO PLANT
SOME CROPS, ALBEIT FEWER HECTARES. FARM WORKERS ARE
GETTING INCREASINGLY ANGRY AS THE CONTINUATION OF THE
STATUS QUO THREATENS THEIR LIVELIHOODS. HOME AFFAIRS
MINISTER NKOMO MET WITH THE CFU IN KAROI DISTRICT ON
OCTOBER 11 AND STATED THAT FARM INVADERS SHOULD NOT
INTERFERE WITH THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS' PLANTING OF
CROPS. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) ECONOFF MET ON OCTOBER 12 WITH OFFICIALS OF THE
COMMERCIAL FARMERS UNION (CFU) TO DISCUSS THE CURRENT
SITUATION ON COMMERCIAL FARMS.

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ONGOING AND NEW OCCUPATIONS
--------------


3. (C) ACCORDING TO THE CFU THERE ARE CURRENTLY BETWEEN
900 AND 1000 OCCUPIED FARMS. THIS IS DOWN FROM A HIGH
OF AROUND 1700 FARMS INVADED DURING THE RUN-UP TO
PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS LAST JUNE. TWO TO THREE NEW
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FARMS HAVE BEEN OCCUPIED EVERY WEEK, BUT THESE
OCCUPATIONS DO NOT ALL BECOME PERMANENT. SOMETIMES THE
OCCUPIERS LEAVE THE FARMS AFTER ONLY A FEW DAYS.
ACCORDING TO THE CFU, 10-15 PERCENT OF THE OCCUPIERS ARE
WAR VETERANS, AND THE REMAINDER ARE POOR, LANDLESS
ZIMBABWEANS FROM THE COMMUNAL AREAS THAT ARE CLOSE TO
THE OCCUPIED FARMS.

--------------
MIXED SIGNALS FROM THE GOZ AND ZRP
--------------


4. (C) GOZ OFFICIALS AND THE ZRP CONTINUE TO SEND MIXED
SIGNALS REGARDING THE FARM INVASIONS AND THE RULE OF
LAW. IN SOME PROVINCES, GOZ OFFICIALS, FROM GOVERNORS
ON DOWN, HAVE STATED THAT NO MORE FARM OCCUPATIONS WILL
BE TOLERATED, AND THE ZRP ARE ACTING TO PREVENT NEW
OCCUPATIONS, AS WELL AS ASSOCIATED CRIMINAL ACTS. IN
OTHER PROVINCES, THE OPPPOSITE IS OCCURRING. AN EXAMPLE
IS MASHONALAND CENTRAL, WHERE THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR
HAS TOLD OWNERS OF FARMS LISTED FOR SEIZURE NOT TO
PLANT. THE CFU CONTINUES TO RECEIVE NUMEROUS REPORTS
FROM FARMERS THAT COMPLAINTS TO THE LOCAL POLICE
CONSTABLES ABOUT CRIMINALITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE FARM
OCCUPATIONS ARE OFTEN MET WITH ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT WHAT
IS OCCURRING IS ILLEGAL, BUT THAT IT IS A POLITICAL
ISSUE AND THEIR HANDS ARE TIED.

--------------
MOST FARMERS HAVE PLANTED SOME CROPS
--------------
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PAGE 04 HARARE 05838 01 OF 02 131204Z


5. (C) ACCORDING TO THE CFU, ALMOST ALL THEIR MEMBERS
HAVE MANAGED TO PLANT SOME CROPS. WHILE THE MAJORITY OF
FARMERS CONTINUE TO BE DENIED NEW FINANCING BY BANKS
BECAUSE OF THE UNSETTLED SITUATION, THEY HAVE MANAGED TO
SCRAPE TOGETHER THE RESOURCES TO PLANT SMALLER CROPS.
MANY TOBACCO FARMERS FOR INSTANCE, ARE PLANTING FEWER
HECTARES. BECAUSE THEY ARE ALSO PLANTING LATE, THEY
WILL BE PUTTING IN ONLY ONE TOBACCO CROP INSTEAD OF THE
NORMAL TWO. THE CFU ESTIMATES THAT 50 PERCENT FEWER
HECTARES OF MAIZE WILL BE PLANTED, PRINCIPALLY BECAUSE
THIS IS A CROP WITH A HIGH RATE OF THEFT, AND FARMERS
FEAR THAT THEIR CROPS WILL BE STOLEN AT HARVEST TIME.
WHILE MOST FARMERS HAVE MANAGED TO FIND THE MONEY TO
PLANT, THE CFU FEARS THAT BY JANUARY MANY WILL RUN OUT
OF MONEY FOR INPUTS NEEDED TO TEND AND HARVEST THEIR
CROPS, UNLESS THE BANKS ARE PERSUADED TO LOAN TO THEM.

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TENSIONS ARE RISING AMONG FARM WORKERS
--------------


6. (C) ACCORDING TO THE CFU, THE MAJORITY OF
ALTERCATIONS ON FARMS HAVE BEEN SPARKED BY INCREASING

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CONFIDENTIAL PTQ7655

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ACTION AF-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AGRE-00 AID-00 AMAD-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00
DODE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 EUR-00 VC-00 FRB-00
H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01
NSAE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00
ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 STR-00 USIE-00 R-00 PMB-00
DSCC-00 PRM-01 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /009W
-------------- 914467 131204Z /38
P 131204Z OCT 00
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7364
INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
USDOC WASHDC
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 005838

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH
USDOC FOR DHENKE-ROGERS
LONDON FOR CGURNEY
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS
PASS USAID FOR AFR/SD - DWELLER, AFR/SA - CPALMA,
NNEWMAN, AA/AFR - VDERRYCK, AND A/AID - RMCCALL

USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER

E.O. 12958: DECL 09/20/10
CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02 HARARE 05838 02 OF 02 131204Z
TAGS: PHUM PGOV EAGR PREL EAID ZI
SUBJECT: TENSIONS ON COMMERCIAL FARMS CONTINUE

ANGER AND FRUSTRATION AMONG FARM WORKERS, WHO ARE FED UP
WITH THE ABUSE BEING VISITED ON THEM BY WAR VETERANS.
SINCE THE GOZ IS LARGELY DOING NOTHING TO PROTECT THEM,
THEY ARE TAKING ACTION IN SELF-DEFENSE TO PROTECT THEIR
OWN LIVELIHOODS. THE CFU BELIEVES THAT MORE VIOLENCE IS
INEVITABLE AS THE CROP SEASON CONTINUES.

-------------- --------------
THE CFU AND HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER NKOMO MEET IN KAROI
-------------- --------------


7. (C) IN ONE PROMISING DEVELOPMENT HOME AFFAIRS
MINISTER NKOMO AND POLICE COMMISSIONER CHIHURI MET ON
OCTOBER 11 IN KAROI, ONE OF THE AREAS WORST-HIT BY LAND
RELATED VIOLENCE, WITH CFU EXECUTIVES, LOCAL FARMERS,
LOCAL BUSINESS PEOPLE, AND WAR VETERANS WHO HAVE BEEN
OCCUPYING NEARBY COMMERCIAL FARMS. NKOMO TOLD THE
GATHERING THAT THE FARMERS SHOULD GO AHEAD WITH THEIR
PLANTING AND THAT THE FARM OCCUPIERS SHOULD NOT
INTERFERE. HE ALSO SAID THAT THE OCCUPIERS SHOULD STAY
PUT WHERE THEY ARE, AND THAT THEY WILL BE RESETTLED ON
LAND AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE. COMMISSIONER CHIHURI TOLD
THE ASSEMBLED GROUP THAT THE FARMERS, FARM WORKERS, AND
WAR VETERANS SHOULD AVOID CONFRONTATIONS, AND THAT THE
ZRP WOULD ARREST PEOPLE WHO INTERFERE WITH FARMING
ACTIVITIES OR COMMIT OTHER CRIMES ON THE LAND ON WHICH
THEY ARE SQUATTING. THE CFU BELIEVED THIS WAS A
PRODUCTIVE MEETING THAT MIGHT RESULT IN SOME REDUCTION
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PAGE 03 HARARE 05838 02 OF 02 131204Z
IN LAWLESSNESS IN THE AREA, WHICH HAS BEEN EXACERBATED
BY THE DISTRICT POLICE CHIEF, A FORMER WAR VETERAN WHO
OPENLY SYMPATHIZES WITH THE LAND OCCUPIERS.


8. COMMENT: IT IS CLEAR THAT THE SITUATION ON COMMERCIAL
FARMS HAS ONLY MARGINALLY IMPROVED. ALTHOUGH THE GOZ
HAS STATED THAT NO MORE FARM INVASIONS WILL BE ALLOWED,
NEW OCCUPATIONS CONTINUE TO OCCUR. THE RESPONSE BY
POLICE TO CRIMINAL ACTS OCCURRING ON OCCUPIED FARMS
VARIES WIDELY BY DISTRICT AND PROVINCE. MOST FARMERS
ARE PLANTING, BUT DOING SO UNDER THE MENACING EYES OF
WAR VETERANS ON THEIR LANDS, AND ARE CONCERNED THAT THEY
MAY NOT GET THE FINANCING TO HARVEST THE CROP THEY ARE
PUTTING IN THE GROUND. THE CFU MEETING WITH MINISTER
NKOMO IN KAROI WOULD APPEAR TO BE A PROMISING SIGN, BUT,
AS ALWAYS, WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS ON THE GROUND WILL
MATTER MUCH MORE THAN GOVERNMENT PROMISES. THERE ARE NO
INDICATIONS THAT THE GOZ IS LOOKING FOR A WAY TO COME TO
AN AGREEMENT WITH THE CFU ON A LAND REFORM PROGRAM THAT
BOTH PARTIES COULD ACCEPT AND WOULD RESTORE THE RULE OF
LAW. AGRICULTURE MINISTER MADE, FOR EXAMPLE, REFUSES TO
MEET WITH THE CFU. WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE INCREASING
TENSIONS AND UNCERTAINTY SO LONG AS THE GOZ REFUSES TO
DEVELOP A FAIR, TRANSPARENT LAND REFORM PROGRAM AND
CONTINUES TO USE THE LAND ISSUE PRIMARILY AS A POLITICAL
TOOL. END COMMENT.

IRVING

CONFIDENTIAL

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