ZIMBABWE POLICE ARREST SUSPECT IN MARCH KILLING

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001201

SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D COPY -- LEAD TAG ADDED

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JFRAZER
LONDON FOR CGURNEY
PARIS FOR BWILLIAMS
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER
PASS USAID FOR AFR/SD - DWELLER, AFR/SA - CPALMA,
NNEWMAN, AA/AFR - VDICKSON-HORTON

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02 HARARE 01201 031546Z
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/11
TAGS: PHUM EAGR PGOV PINS ZI
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE POLICE ARREST SUSPECT IN MARCH KILLING
OF SEVENTY-TWO YEAR OLD FEMALE COMMERCIAL FARMER

REF: HARARE 919

CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D' AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR
REASONS 1.5 (B/D).


1. (U) THE MARCH 31 EDITIONS OF BOTH THE GOZ-CONTROLLED
"THE HERALD" AND THE INDEPENDENT "THE DAILY NEWS"
REPORTED THAT THE ZIMBABWE POLICE HAVE ARRESTED A
SUSPECT IN THE MURDER OF GLORIA OLDS. OLDS, A 72-YEAR-
OLD WHITE FEMALE COMMERCIAL FARMER, WAS BRUTALLY
MURDERED BY AUTOMATIC WEAPONS FIRE IN AN AMBUSH AT HER
FARM GATE ON MARCH 4 (REFTEL). THE INDIVIDUAL ARRESTED,
ALBERT NCUBE, IS DESCRIBED AS A 47 YEAR OLD UNEMPLOYED
RESIDENT OF BULAWAYO, A LARGE CITY NEAR OLD'S FARM.


2. (U) ACCORDING TO THE POLICE, NCUBE WAS ARRESTED ON
MARCH 15 WHEN HE WAS CAUGHT CARRYING BEEF AWAY FROM A
BULL THAT HAD BEEN KILLED WITH AN AK-47 RIFLE.
BALLISTIC TESTS INDICATED THAT SHELL CARTRIDGES FOUND
ALONGSIDE THE DEAD BULL MATCHED THOSE FOUND NEAR THE
BODY OF OLDS. THE PROSECUTOR IN THE CASE ALLEGES THAT
NCUBE, ALONG WITH ANOTHER MAN NOT IN POLICE CUSTODY,
KIDNAPPED OLDS' FARM FOREMAN ON THE MORNING OF HER
KILLING, AND INTERROGATED HIM REGARDING SECURITY ON THE
OLDS' FARM. THEY THEN ALLEGEDLY RELEASED HIM AFTER
THREATENING HIM WITH DEATH IF HE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT HIS
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PAGE 03 HARARE 01201 031546Z
KIDNAPPING. THE PROSECUTOR ALLEGES THAT LATER THAT
MORNING, NCUBE AND THE ACCOMPLICE WENT TO THE OLDS'
FARM, WEARING ZIMBABWE NATIONAL ARMY (ZNA) FATIGUES, AND
KILLED GLORIA OLDS.


3. (SBU) "THE HERALD" ARTICLE REPORTS THAT THE POLICE
HAVE EVIDENCE THAT NCUBE POSSESSED THE AK-47 RIFLE USED
TO KILL THE BULL, AND THAT HE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY
IDENTIFIED IN A POLICE LINEUP BY OLDS' FARM FOREMAN.
THE POLICE ALSO ALLEGEDLY RECOVERED ZNA FATIGUES FROM
NCUBE'S RESIDENCE. THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLES DO NOT
INDICATE WHAT POSSIBLE MOTIVE NCUBE MIGHT HAVE HAD FOR
KILLING OLDS, AND REPORT THAT HE HAS NOT BEEN ASKED TO
MAKE A PLEA. HE IS BEING HELD IN POLICE CUSTODY UNTIL
AN APRIL 19 HEARING. OUR ATTEMPT TO SECURE COMMENT ON
THE CASE DIRECTLY FROM THE POLICE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL.
CIVIL SOCIETY CONTACTS WE SPOKE TO ARE OF THE OPINION
THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE (GOZ) ALWAYS KNEW WHO
OLDS KILLERS WERE, AND THAT THIS ARREST REFLECTS AN
EFFORT BY THE GOZ TO SHOW THAT THERE IS RULE OF LAW IN
ZIMBABWE.


4. (C) COMMENT: WE ARE GOING TO TAKE A WAIT AND SEE
ATTITUDE REGARDING THE ARREST OF NCUBE IN THE OLDS
KILLING. THOUGH THE FIRST KILLING OF A WHITE FARMER
TOOK PLACE OVER A YEAR AGO, AND MRS. OLDS WAS NUMBER
EIGHT, THE ZIMBABWE POLICE HAD NOT ARRESTED SUSPECTS IN
ANY OF THESE HOMICIDES UNTIL THIS ONE, EVEN THOUGH THERE
WERE EYEWITNESSES TO SOME OF THE OTHER KILLINGS. THERE
HAVE ALSO BEEN VERY FEW ARRESTS AND NO TRIALS OF ANY
SUSPECTS FOR THE KILLINGS OF THE THIRTY-FIVE MDC
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PAGE 04 HARARE 01201 031546Z
SUPPORTERS MURDERED SINCE THE ELECTION VIOLENCE THAT
STARTED LAST APRIL. WE DO NOT YET KNOW WHETHER NCUBE
WAS A FORMER OR CURRENT MEMBER OF THE ZIMBABWE NATIONAL
ARMY, OR WHETHER HE IS A LIBERATION WAR VETERAN. WHAT
IS CLEAR IS THAT OLDS WAS ASSASSINATED IN A HAIL OF
AUTOMATIC WEAPONS FIRE AS SHE WENT TO OPEN THE GATE TO
HER FARM ON MARCH 4. THE MANNER OF HER KILLING
CONTINUES TO INDICATE A MOTIVE OTHER THAN A BOTCHED
ROBBERY ATTEMPT. END COMMENT.

IRVING

CONFIDENTIAL

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CONFIDENTIAL PTO8784

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ACTION AF-00

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-------------- DA54C3 021543Z /38
R 021548Z APR 01
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8558
INFO NSC WASHDC
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001201

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JFRAZER
LONDON FOR CGURNEY
PARIS FOR BWILLIAMS
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER
PASS USAID FOR AFR/SD - DWELLER, AFR/SA - CPALMA,
NNEWMAN, AA/AFR - VDICKSON-HORTON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/11
TAGS: PHUM EAGR PGOV PINS ZI
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE POLICE ARREST SUSPECT IN MARCH KILLING
CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02 HARARE 01201 021543Z
OF SEVENTY-TWO YEAR OLD FEMALE COMMERCIAL FARMER

REF: HARARE 919

CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D' AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR
REASONS 1.5 (B/D).


1. (U) THE MARCH 31 EDITIONS OF BOTH THE GOZ-CONTROLLED
"THE HERALD" AND THE INDEPENDENT "THE DAILY NEWS"
REPORTED THAT THE ZIMBABWE POLICE HAVE ARRESTED A
SUSPECT IN THE MURDER OF GLORIA OLDS. OLDS, A 72-YEAR-
OLD WHITE FEMALE COMMERCIAL FARMER, WAS BRUTALLY
MURDERED BY AUTOMATIC WEAPONS FIRE IN AN AMBUSH AT HER
FARM GATE ON MARCH 4 (REFTEL). THE INDIVIDUAL ARRESTED,
ALBERT NCUBE, IS DESCRIBED AS A 47 YEAR OLD UNEMPLOYED
RESIDENT OF BULAWAYO, A LARGE CITY NEAR OLD'S FARM.


2. (U) ACCORDING TO THE POLICE, NCUBE WAS ARRESTED ON
MARCH 15 WHEN HE WAS CAUGHT CARRYING BEEF AWAY FROM A
BULL THAT HAD BEEN KILLED WITH AN AK-47 RIFLE.
BALLISTIC TESTS INDICATED THAT SHELL CARTRIDGES FOUND
ALONGSIDE THE DEAD BULL MATCHED THOSE FOUND NEAR THE
BODY OF OLDS. THE PROSECUTOR IN THE CASE ALLEGES THAT
NCUBE, ALONG WITH ANOTHER MAN NOT IN POLICE CUSTODY,
KIDNAPPED OLDS' FARM FOREMAN ON THE MORNING OF HER
KILLING, AND INTERROGATED HIM REGARDING SECURITY ON THE
OLDS' FARM. THEY THEN ALLEGEDLY RELEASED HIM AFTER
THREATENING HIM WITH DEATH IF HE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT HIS
KIDNAPPING. THE PROSECUTOR ALLEGES THAT LATER THAT
MORNING, NCUBE AND THE ACCOMPLICE WENT TO THE OLDS'
FARM, WEARING ZIMBABWE NATIONAL ARMY (ZNA) FATIGUES, AND
CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 03 HARARE 01201 021543Z
KILLED GLORIA OLDS.


3. (SBU) "THE HERALD" ARTICLE REPORTS THAT THE POLICE
HAVE EVIDENCE THAT NCUBE POSSESSED THE AK-47 RIFLE USED
TO KILL THE BULL, AND THAT HE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY
IDENTIFIED IN A POLICE LINEUP BY OLDS' FARM FOREMAN.
THE POLICE ALSO ALLEGEDLY RECOVERED ZNA FATIGUES FROM
NCUBE'S RESIDENCE. THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLES DO NOT
INDICATE WHAT POSSIBLE MOTIVE NCUBE MIGHT HAVE HAD FOR
KILLING OLDS, AND REPORT THAT HE HAS NOT BEEN ASKED TO
MAKE A PLEA. HE IS BEING HELD IN POLICE CUSTODY UNTIL
AN APRIL 19 HEARING. OUR ATTEMPT TO SECURE COMMENT ON
THE CASE DIRECTLY FROM THE POLICE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL.
CIVIL SOCIETY CONTACTS WE SPOKE TO ARE OF THE OPINION
THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE (GOZ) ALWAYS KNEW WHO
OLDS KILLERS WERE, AND THAT THIS ARREST REFLECTS AN
EFFORT BY THE GOZ TO SHOW THAT THERE IS RULE OF LAW IN
ZIMBABWE.


4. (C) COMMENT: WE ARE GOING TO TAKE A WAIT AND SEE
ATTITUDE REGARDING THE ARREST OF NCUBE IN THE OLDS
KILLING. THOUGH THE FIRST KILLING OF A WHITE FARMER
TOOK PLACE OVER A YEAR AGO, AND MRS. OLDS WAS NUMBER
EIGHT, THE ZIMBABWE POLICE HAD NOT ARRESTED SUSPECTS IN
ANY OF THESE HOMICIDES UNTIL THIS ONE, EVEN THOUGH THERE
WERE EYEWITNESSES TO SOME OF THE OTHER KILLINGS. THERE
HAVE ALSO BEEN VERY FEW ARRESTS AND NO TRIALS OF ANY
SUSPECTS FOR THE KILLINGS OF THE THIRTY-FIVE MDC
SUPPORTERS MURDERED SINCE THE ELECTION VIOLENCE THAT
STARTED LAST APRIL. WE DO NOT YET KNOW WHETHER NCUBE
WAS A FORMER OR CURRENT MEMBER OF THE ZIMBABWE NATIONAL
CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 04 HARARE 01201 021543Z
ARMY, OR WHETHER HE IS A LIBERATION WAR VETERAN. WHAT
IS CLEAR IS THAT OLDS WAS ASSASSINATED IN A HAIL OF
AUTOMATIC WEAPONS FIRE AS SHE WENT TO OPEN THE GATE TO
HER FARM ON MARCH 4. THE MANNER OF HER KILLING
CONTINUES TO INDICATE A MOTIVE OTHER THAN A BOTCHED
ROBBERY ATTEMPT. END COMMENT.

IRVING

CONFIDENTIAL

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