ZIMBABWE: GRIGSBY STAFFDEL MEETS WITH ZIMBABWE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 002379 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/11 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR ZI SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: GRIGSBY STAFFDEL MEETS WITH ZIMBABWE SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL OFFICER TODD FAULK FOR REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (U) ON AUGUST 6, SENATE STAFFDEL, LED BY GARRETT GRIGSBY, MET WITH SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT AND ZANU-PF CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 02379 01 OF 02 101014Z SECRETARY OF ADMINISTRATION EMMERSON MNANGAGWA IN HIS SIPDIS PARLIAMENT OFFICES. MNANGAGWA WAS JOINED BY DEPUTY CLERK OF PARLIAMENT HELEN DINGANI, AND THE STAFFDEL WAS ACCOMPANIED BY CHARGE AUBREY HOOKS AND POLOFFS. ELECTIONS -------------- ¶2. (C) MNANGAGWA BEGAN BY EMPHASIZING THAT HE IS NOT A GOVERNMENT MINISTER; NONETHELESS, AS SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT, HE FOLLOWS GOVERNMENT ISSUES. HE ITERATED THAT NEXT YEAR'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WILL BE HELD IN MARCH OR APRIL. THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE (GOZ) HAS HAD FIVE GENERAL ELECTIONS SINCE INDEPENDENCE, AND IT WILL NOT MISS THIS ELECTORAL DATE, EITHER. HE DESCRIBED THE BASIC ELECTORAL PROCESS, AND MENTIONED THE THREE BY- ELECTIONS HELD SINCE LATE LAST YEAR. MNANGAGWA CHARACTERIZED THE BINDURA BY-ELECTION AS "LESS VIOLENT" THAN THE PREVIOUS TWO BECAUSE THE POLICE HAD SET UP ROADBLOCKS AT POINTS LEADING INTO THE DISTRICT AND SEARCHED FOR WEAPONS. THE ATTACK ON MDC PRESIDENT TSVANGIRAI'S CONVOY WAS A "SMALL INCIDENT" IN AN SIPDIS OTHERWISE PEACEFUL DISTRICT. IN RESPONSE TO A STAFFDEL QUESTION ABOUT THE VIOLENCE SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE IN BINDURA, MNANGAGWA SAID THE MDC AND ZANU-PF HAVE AGREED TO ESTABLISH A CODE OF CONDUCT BASED ON COMMONWEALTH AND EU CODES OF CONDUCT. A TEAM OF FIVE ZANU-PF MEMBERS AND FIVE MDC MEMBERS ARE EXAMINING WAYS TO REDUCE VIOLENCE, INCLUDING LIMITING THE TRANSPORT OF YOUTH AND OTHER CAMPAIGNERS TO THEIR OWN CONSTITUENCIES. A NATIONAL ELECTION, SUCH AS THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, WOULD BE AN CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 02379 01 OF 02 101014Z EXCEPTION BECAUSE THE COUNTRY IS ONE BIG CONSTITUENCY IN THAT CASE. COURT CHALLENGES -------------- ¶3. (C) THE SPEAKER RAISED THE ISSUE OF THE MDC'S COURT CHALLENGES TO LAST YEAR'S ELECTORAL RESULTS. WHILE THE MDC CHALLENGED THE RESULTS IN 37 SEATS, ZANU-PF CHALLENGED ONLY ONE. THE RULING PARTY RECOGNIZES THAT THE ELECTION IS OVER AND REPRESENTED THE VIEW OF THE PEOPLE. OF THE EIGHT MDC CHALLENGES THAT HAVE BEEN RULED UPON BY THE HIGH COURT, FOUR RESULTS HAVE BEEN UPHELD AND FOUR NULLIFED. ZANU-PF HAS APPEALED THE FOUR NULLIFICATIONS, AND THOSE CASES ARE DUE TO BE HEARD BY THE SUPREME COURT. THE MDC IS CHALLENGING THE RESULTS BASED ON TWO BASIC PREMISES: THERE WAS PRE-ELECTION VIOLENCE AND THE VOTERS' ROLL WAS DEFECTIVE. THE LATTER SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE, MNANGAGWA AVERRED, BECAUSE THE VOTERS WERE GIVEN WEEKS BEFORE THE ELECTION TO INSPECT THE ROLLS. IF THEY FOUND THEIR NAME WAS NOT ON THE ROLL IN THEIR CONSTITUENCY, IT COULD BE ADDED TO A SEPARATE REGISTER ON THE SPOT. IF THEY FOUND THE NAME OF SOMEONE WHO HAD DIED, IT COULD BE REMOVED IF IT WAS REPORTED TO THE LOCAL DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR. ZIMBABWE'S VOTING RECORDS ARE FULLY COMPUTERIZED, BUT THE COMPUTER CANNOT TELL IF SOMEONE HAS DIED OR MOVED UNLESS IT IS REPORTED, HE EMPHASIZED. IN ADDITION, THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR COULD TAKE UP TO TWO MONTHS TO RECORD A CHANGE ONCE IT IS REPORTED. CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 02379 01 OF 02 101014Z LAND ISSUE: NOT AS BAD AS IT SEEMS -------------- ¶4. (C) MNANGAGWA THEN DELVED INTO THE HISTRIONICS OF THE LAND ISSUE IN ZIMBABWE. HE POINTED OUT THAT HE HELPED DRAFT THE 1992 LAND ACQUISITION ACT, WHICH OBLIGATED THE GOVERNMENT TO PAY FARMERS FOR ACQUIRED LAND WITHIN THREE MONTHS IN THE CURRENCY OF THE SELLER'S CHOICE. THAT HAS ALL CHANGED, HOWEVER. BY COMPULSORILY ACQUIRING ALL THE COMMERCIAL FARMING LAND AT ONCE, GOVERNMENT IS AVOIDING FIVE OR MORE YEARS OF STRIFE, THE SPEAKER OPINED. HE ADMITTED THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS ACQUIRED TOO MUCH LAND. (NOTE: 95 PERCENT OF COMMERCIAL FARMING LAND HAS BEEN LISTED FOR SEIZURE. END NOTE.) FARMERS THAT ARE COOPERATIVE WITH GOVERNMENT CAN GET THEIR LAND BACK. THOSE FARMERS WITH MORE THAN ONE FARM WILL BE ABLE TO CHOOSE WHICH ONE THEY WANT TO KEEP; THE REST WILL HAVE TO BE GIVEN UP UNLESS IT IS PART OF A PRODUCING AGRIBUSINESS. CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTQ6195 PAGE 01 HARARE 02379 02 OF 02 101015Z ACTION H-01 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AF-00 DS-00 TEDE-00 SS-00 DSCC-00 SAS-00 /001W -------------- 107D83 101015Z /38 R 101012Z AUG 01 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO SECSTATE WASHDC 9445 INFO NSC WASHDC SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY AMEMBASSY NAIROBI C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 002379 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/11 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR ZI SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: GRIGSBY STAFFDEL MEETS WITH ZIMBABWE SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT MONITORS OR OBSERVERS? -------------- ¶5. (C) WHEN ASKED ABOUT ZIMBABWE ADMITTING ELECTION MONITORS, MNANGAGWA DREW A DISTINCTION BETWEEN MONITORS CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 02379 02 OF 02 101015Z AND OBSERVERS. MONITORS, WHETHER THEY BE FROM THE EU, SADC, OAU OR ELSEWHERE, ARE GIVEN TERMS OF REFERENCE AND HAVE NO RESTRICTIONS ON TRAVEL OR ENTERING POLLING PLACES. THEY ARE ACCREDITED TO POINT OUT TO ELECTION OFFICIALS PROBLEMS THEY SEE IN THE VOTING AND COUNTING PROCESS. MONITORS CAN, FOR EXAMPLE, ASK VOTE COUNTERS TO RECOUNT A STACK OF BALLOTS IF THEY DO NOT APPEAR CORRECTLY COUNTED, BUT THEY CANNOT DO THE COUNTING THEMSELVES. MONITORS ARE OBLIGATED TO REPORT OBSERVED PROBLEMS TO GOVERNMENT. OBSERVERS, ON THE OTHER HAND, ARE MORE RESTRICTED IN WHERE THEY CAN GO. THEY CANNOT POINT OUT PROBLEMS TO ELECTION OFFICIALS, BUT CAN ONLY RECORD WHAT THEY SEE FOR THEIR OWN REPORTS. ¶6. (C) ONLY AS THE MEETING WAS CONCLUDING DID MNANGAGWA ASK ABOUT THE ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT (ZDERA) THAT HAD JUST PASSED THE SENATE. THE SPEAKER LAMENTED THAT THE BILL WOULD ONLY CAUSE GREATER ECONOMIC HARDSHIP FOR ZIMBABWEANS. STAFFDEL EXPLAINED THE PROVISIONS OF THE BILL AND THE STEPS IT WOULD GO THROUGH IN CONGRESS NEXT. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) IN HIS MEETING WITH THE STAFFDEL, SPEAKER MNANGAGWA WAS CORDIAL AND PLEASANT, CONTINUING THE CHARM OFFENSIVE HE BEGAN WITH OTHER WESTERN INTERLOCUTORS A FEW MONTHS AGO. MNANGAGWA, AS PRESIDENT MUGABE'S HEIR APPARENT, CLEARLY HAS AN EYE ON THE FUTURE BY TRYING TO PORTRAY HIMSELF AS A MODERATE ON CONTENTIOUS ISSUES LIKE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 02379 02 OF 02 101015Z LAND, ELECTIONS, AND OBSERVERS. HIS REPUTATION, HOWEVER, WOULD PUT HIM IN THE HARD-LINE GOVERNMENT CAMP, AND HIS ACTIONS WILL HAVE TO SPEAK LOUDER THAN HIS WORDS IN THE FUTURE. END COMMENT. ¶9. (U) THIS CABLE WAS NOT CLEARED BY STAFFDEL BEFORE ITS DEPARTURE FROM HARARE. HOOKS CONFIDENTIAL >