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 CONFIDENTIAL 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 CONFIDENTIAL 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 > @@@OASYS@@@ CONFIDENTIAL PTO8784 PAGE 01 HARARE 01201 021543Z ACTION AF-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AGRE-00 AID-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 COME-00 INL-00 DINT-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 EUR-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 JUSE-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 SCT-00 SP-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 BBG-00 R-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /007W -------------- 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 >