COMMERCIAL FARMER ABDUCTED BY WAR VETERANS AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 006910 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH LONDON FOR CGURNEY PARIS FOR BWILLIAMS NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/07/10 TAGS: EAGR PHUM ZI SUBJECT: COMMERCIAL FARMER ABDUCTED BY WAR VETERANS AND TAKEN TO STATE HOUSE IN EFFORT TO FORCE AN AUDIENCE WITH PRESIDENT MUGABE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 06910 270923Z CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR TOM MCDONALD FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (U) THE DECEMBER 7 EDITION OF THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER "THE DAILY NEWS" CARRIED A FRONT PAGE STORY THAT A COMMERCIAL FARMER, LANCE KENNEDY, HAD BEEN FORCIBLY ABDUCTED BY A GROUP OF TWENTY WAR VETERANS WHO WERE OCCUPYING HIS SIGARO FARM, AND FORCED TO DRIVE SOME OF HIS ABDUCTORS INTO HARARE TO STATE HOUSE IN AN ATTEMPT TO GAIN AN AUDIENCE WITH PRESIDENT MUGABE. THIS ABDUCTION OCCURRED AFTER A DISPUTE BETWEEN MR. KENNEDY AND THE WAR VETERANS OVER THE RIGHT TO PLANT ON A PIECE OF LAND ON KENNEDY'S FARM. THE WAR VETERANS WERE REFUSED ENTRANCE TO STATE HOUSE BY POLICE GUARDS. THEY THEN REMAINED OUTSIDE STATE HOUSE IN KENNEDY'S PARKED CAR FOR ANOTHER TWO HOURS, BEFORE THE POLICE FORCED THEM TO LEAVE. THEY THEN RETURNED TO THE SIGARO FARM, WHERE MR. KENNEDY WAS RELEASED UNHURT. ¶2. (C) ECONOFF CONTACTED JERRY DAVISON, THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS UNION EXECUTIVE OFFICER FOR WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS TO GET ADDITIONAL DETAIL ON THIS STORY. DAVISON TOLD ECONOFF THAT KENNEDY'S FARM IS ONLY ABOUT TEN MILES NORTH OF HARARE. THE WAR VETERANS ABDUCTED MR. KENNEDY AND BROUGHT HIM TO STATE HOUSE, SEEKING AN AUDIENCE WITH MUGABE IN ORDER TO RESOLVE THEIR DISPUTE. NORMALLY THESE DISPUTES ARE RESOLVED IN THE DISTRICT SEAT IN WHICH A FARM IS LOCATED. IN THIS CASE, HOWEVER, BECAUSE THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A LONGER TRIP, WITH THE DISTRICT SEAT LOCATED ABOUT THIRTY MILES NORTH OF THE FARM, THE WAR VETERANS DECIDED TO SAVE TIME CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 06910 270923Z AND GO RIGHT TO THE TOP AND HAVE MUGABE SETTLE THE DISPUTE. DAVISON CONFIRMED THAT WHILE KENNEDY WAS FORCIBLY ABDUCTED, HE WAS NOT PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED BY THE WAR VETERANS, AND HE WAS RELEASED UNHARMED AT HIS FARM FOLLOWING THE FAILURE OF THE WAR VETS TO GAIN THEIR DESIRED AUDIENCE WITH MUGABE. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: WHILE THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT PRESIDENT MUGABE HAS USED THE WAR VETERANS AS ENFORCERS FOR ZANU-PF DURING THE ELECTIONS, AS WELL AS SWAT TEAMS IN THE FARM INVASIONS, THIS STORY AGAIN RAISES THE QUESTION OF HOW MUCH DAY-TO-DAY CONTROL MUGABE AND THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE HAVE OVER THE INCREASINGLY AUDACIOUS WAR VETERANS. CLEARLY, THIS IS AN EMBARRASSING INCIDENT FOR MUGABE, AND HE WOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED IT TO OCCUR WERE THERE AN ESTABLISHED COMMAND- AND-CONTROL STRUCTURE IN PLACE OVER THE WAR VETS. END COMMENT. MCDONALD CONFIDENTIAL >