FOREIGN MINISTER INFORMS WESTERN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 001632 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SA - C. PALMA AND N. NEWMAN PASS USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 01632 01 OF 02 170805Z E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/11 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS ETRD ZI CA DA SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER INFORMS WESTERN AMBASSADORS OF CABINET DECISION TO REIN IN WAR VETERANS REF: (A) HARARE 1535 (NOTAL) (B) HARARE 1447 (NOTAL) CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) CANADIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER JAMES WALL TOLD CHARGE ON MAY 16 THAT FOREIGN MINISTER STANISLAUS MUDENGE HAD SUMMONED HIM, THE GERMAN AND DANISH AMBASSADORS EARLIER THAT DAY TO COMMUNICATE CABINET'S DECISION TO PUT AN END TO PELL-MELL INVASIONS OF URBAN FIRMS BY OSTENSIBLE WAR VETERANS SEEKING PAY OUTS FOR DISMISSED EMPLOYEES. HE EXPLAINED THAT CABINET HAD DISCUSSED THE MATTER AND CONCLUDED THAT THERE WAS NO HISTORICAL BASIS FOR THE INVASIONS AND THAT GOVERNMENT STRUCTURES EXISTED TO DEAL WITH WORKERS' COMPLAINTS. THE FOREIGN MINISTER SAID THAT MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS JOHN NKOMO WOULD MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO THAT EFFECT LATER IN THE DAY. ¶2. (U) THE CHOICE OF AMBASSADORS WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT. HIGH COMMISSIONER WALL DISAPPEARED INTO ZANU-PF HARARE PROVINCIAL HEADQUARTERS ALONG WITH THE CANADIAN CITIZEN DIRECTOR OF CARE ON MAY 4. A DISGRUNTLED EMPLOYEE WHO HAD BEEN LAID OFF SOUGHT REINSTATEMENT AND BACK PAY FROM CARE THAT THE WAR VETERANS WERE HAPPY TO HELP HIM CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 01632 01 OF 02 170805Z SECURE. WHILE IN THE PARTY PROVINCIAL HEADQUARTERS WALL PROTESTED THE KANGAROO COURT AND WAS ASSAULTED BY WAR VETERANS (REF A). WAR VETERANS INVADED THE DANISH-OWNED DANDY CHEWING GUM FACTORY ON MAY 11, RESULTING IN THE FACTORY BEING CLOSED AND ALL 550 EMPLOYEES BEING FURLOUGHED INDEFINITELY. ACCORDING TO PRESS REPORTING, THE DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER MOGENS LYKKETOFT WROTE HIS ZIMBABWEAN COUNTERPART PROTESTING THE INVASION. WAR VETERANS ALSO INVADED THE OFFICES OF THE FRIEDRICH EBERT FOUNDATION ON APRIL 23, AND LATER THE FOOD WAREHOUSE, WHICH THEY LOOTED CLEAN, OF THE GERMAN-OPERATED NON- GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION "HELP," AND THE S.O.S. CHILDREN'S VILLAGE, A GERMAN-SUPPORTED ORPHANAGE (REF B) . ¶3. (U) AS MUDENGE PROMISED OUR DIPLOMATIC COLLEAGUES, MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS JOHN NKOMO ON MAY 16 ORDERED POLICE TO ARREST "PEOPLE MASQUERADING AS LIBERATION WAR VETERANS, [WHO HAVE BEEN] GOING AROUND EXTORTING MONEY FROM COMPANY OWNERS AND EMPLOYERS UNDER THE PRETEXT OF SOLVING LONG-STANDING LABOUR DISPUTES." NKOMO SAID THEIR ACTIONS CONSTITUTED EXTORTION AND KIDNAPPING AND HE ADVISED ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN FORCED TO PAY MONEY TO REPORT THEIR EXPERIENCES TO THE NEAREST POLICE STATION. NKOMO THEN EMPHASIZED THAT "WE WILL LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED IN OUR QUEST TO BRING THE PERPETRATORS TO BOOK." ¶4. (C) COMMENT: IT HAS TAKEN OVER A MONTH AND A STORM OF PROTESTS FROM EMBASSIES AND CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS, FOREIGN AND LOCAL, TO GET THE GOVERNMENT'S ATTENTION AND CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 01632 01 OF 02 170805Z ACTION. MANY SENIOR OFFICIALS IN GOVERNMENT ARE DISGUSTED WITH THE TARGETING OF COMPANIES AND NGOS. FOLLOWING ON THE HEELS OF THE RESIGNATION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE MINISTER NKOSANA MOYO, WE HAVE HEARD THAT THE PERMANENT SECRETARY IN THE MINISTRY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC WORKS AND NATIONAL HOUSING AND OTHER SENIOR CIVIL SERVANTS PLAN TO SUBMIT THEIR RETIREMENT PAPERS IMMINENTLY. IN ADDITION, VETERAN ZANU-PF POLITICIAN EDDISON ZVOBGO RECENTLY TOLD US THAT A NUMBER OF SENIOR GOVERNMENT PEOPLE -- INCLUDING FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MINISTER SIMBA MAKONI - - HAVE ASKED HIM PRIVATELY HOW THEY CAN GET OUT. DESPITE THE WIDESPREAD REALIZATION IN OFFICIAL CIRCLES THAT THE LATEST ITERATION OF THE GOVERNMENT'S "URBAN CAMPAIGN" IS BACKFIRING DOMESTICALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY, THE ULTIMATE POWER TO REIN IN THE WAR VETERANS RESTS WITH PRESIDENT MUGABE. SINCE PRESIDENT MUGABE LAST YEAR OVERRULED BOTH NKOMO AND VICE-PRESIDENT MSIKA WHEN THEY VOWED TO EVICT FARM INVADERS, WE WILL NOT INVEST MUCH OPTIMISM IN NKOMO'S ORDER THIS TIME UNLESS IT IS FOLLOWED BY REAL ACTION ON THE GROUND. END COMMENT. CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ3614 PAGE 01 HARARE 01632 02 OF 02 170806Z ACTION AID-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AF-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 COME-00 DODE-00 WHA-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 EUR-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 LAB-01 VCE-00 NSAE-00 OES-01 SSO-00 SS-00 STR-00 TRSE-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /004W -------------- ECEEB0 170806Z /38 O 170813Z MAY 01 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8893 INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY AMEMBASSY OTTAWA AMEMBASSY BERLIN AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 001632 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SA - C. PALMA AND N. NEWMAN PASS USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 01632 02 OF 02 170806Z E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/11 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS ETRD ZI CA DA SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER INFORMS WESTERN AMBASSADORS OF CABINET DECISION TO REIN IN WAR VETERANS IRVING CONFIDENTIAL >