SOUTH AFRICAN EMBASSY COMMENTS ON ZIMBABWE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 002398 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF, AF/S, AND AF/RA LONDON FOR GURNEY PARIS FOR WILLIAMS-MANIGAULT NSC FOR SENIOR DIRECTOR FRAZIER NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/09/06 TAGS: PREL PGOV ZI SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICAN EMBASSY COMMENTS ON ZIMBABWE CLASSIFIED BY DCM REWHITEHEAD DUE TO 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (U) SUMMARY. AS A CONTINUATION OF INITIAL COURTESY CALLS, DCM MET WITH SOUTH AFRICAN COUNTERPART THOMAS RAMBAU CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 02398 01 OF 02 141109Z ON AUGUST 8. RAMBAU ECHOED THE PESSIMISM THAT SEEMS TO BE THE ORDER OF THE DAY IN HIS COMMENTS ON ELECTIONS, CONSULAR ISSUES, WAR VETERAN VISITORS, PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS, AND DIPLOMATIC BANKING PROBLEMS. END SUMMARY. -------------- ELECTORAL ICEBERGS AHEAD -------------- ¶2. (SBU) RAMBAU WAS NOT WELL INFORMED ON ANY POTENTIAL SADC ELECTIONS MONITORING PROGRAM, BUT HE THOUGHT THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT SOUTH AFRICA MIGHT PROVIDE OBSERVERS THROUGH SOME MECHANISM. HE AGREED THAT SOUTH AFRICA'S QUIET DIPLOMACY HAT YIELDED FEW RESULTS THUS FAR AND EXPRESSED SURPRISE THAT MBEKI HAD SO FRANKLY ADMITTED THIS DURING A BBC INTERVIEW EARLIER IN THE WEEK. HE SAID THAT THE AIRING OF MBEKI'S COMMENTS ON ZNBC WAS EVEN MORE SURPRISING. HE SURMISED THAT THE LACK OF TACTICAL EDITING HAD BEEN AN OVERSIGHT AND SAID THAT HE HAD HEARD THAT THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE WAS IN THE CROSS-HAIRS OF INFORMATION MINISTER MOYO. -------------- CONSULAR HEADACHES -------------- ¶3. (C) RAMBAU RAISED THE ONGOING CONFLICT IN CHINHOYI, OBSERVING THAT IT HAD LANDED PARTIALLY ON HIS DESK. FOUR OF THE TWENTY-TWO COMMERCIAL FARMERS ARRESTED IN THE CASE WERE BELIEVED TO HOLD SOUTH AFRICAN PASSPORTS. (SUBSEQUENT REPORTS INDICATE THIS IS NOT CORRECT.) HE EXPLAINED THAT CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 02398 01 OF 02 141109Z THIS WAS NOT AT ALL AN UNCOMMON OCCURRENCE. LARGE NUMBERS OF WHITE ZIMBABWEANS HAD RESETTLED IN SOUTH AFRICA IN THE EARLY 1980'S AND TAKEN UP SOUTH AFRICAN CITIZENSHIP. MANY OF THESE HAD CHOSEN TO RETURN TO ZIMBABWE LATER TO RECLAIM FAMILY FARMS AND BUSINESSES, OFTEN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FAMILY MEMBERS WHO HAD RETAINED ZIMBABWEAN CITIZENSHIP. HE DESCRIBED AN INCIDENT A WEEKEND EARLIER IN WHICH HE HAD JUGGLED PHONE CALLS BETWEEN A SOUTH AFRICAN FARMER NEAR MUTARE AND THE POLICE AS "WAR VETERANS" MOVED CLOSER TO THE FARMER'S HOUSE FROM SURROUNDING BARRICADES. THE FARMER, WHO PLEADED FOR SOUTH AFRICAN INTERCESSION, NONETHELESS REFUSED TO LEAVE THE HOUSE UNLESS HIS ZIMBABWEAN BROTHER ACCOMPANIED HIM. RAMBAU SAID THAT EVENTUALLY HE CONVINCED THE POLICE TO ESCORT BOTH OFF THE PROPERTY. -------------- A RESPECTABLE WAR VET -------------- ¶4. (SBU) DCM QUERIED RAMBAU ON PRESS REPORTS OF A SOUTH AFRICAN WAR VETERAN LEADER WHO HAD COME TO ZIMBABWE TO MEET WITH HIS ZIMBABWEAN COUNTERPARTS. RAMBAU SAID THAT HE HAD MET WITH THE MAN AND POINTED OUT THAT THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR VETERAN HAD PUBLICLY WAR VETERAN CONDEMNED VIOLENCE BECAUSE IT SULLIED THE RESPECTABILITY OF THE ENTIRE MOVEMENT. RAMBAU ADDED THAT THE SOUTH AFRICAN HAD CALLED FOR COMPULSORY LAND ACQUISITION IN SOUTH AFRICA AS WELL AND CALLED FOR A REGIONAL WAR VETERANS FRONT THAT INCLUDED MOZAMBIQUE, MALAWI, AND ZAMBIA. DCM POINTED OUT THAT THIS GOAL MIGHT PROVE ELUSIVE, GIVEN THAT TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE THERE ARE NO WAR VETERANS IN TWO OF THESE THREE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 02398 01 OF 02 141109Z COUNTRIES. -------------- PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION OK, STATE VISIT NOT -------------- ¶5. (C) RAMBAU SAID THAT PRESIDENT MBEKI, AT THE HIGH COMMISSION'S URGING, HAD NOT RESPONDED TO A RECENT INVITATION FROM MUGAVE FOR A STATE VISIT. RAMBAU SAID THAT THE SOUTH AFRICANS DID NOT WANT HIGH LEVEL CONTACTS TO BE MISINTERPRETED AS CONDONING GOZ POLICY. A SOUTH AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION, HOWEVER, HAD JUST CONCLUDED A VISIT TO ZIMBABWE. MOST OF THE MEETINGS TOOK PLACE BETWEEN COMMITTEE COUNTERPARTS, BUT THERE HAD BEEN CONTACTS WITH GOZ MINISTERS. RAMBAU DESCRIBED THE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN A DR. MOHOWAN (SP),WHO CHAIRS THE SOUTH AFRICAN PARLIAMENT'S HOME AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, AND HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER NKOMO. ¶6. (C) RAMBAU SAID THAT HE WAS ASTONISHED AT THE APPROACH OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARIAN, WHO TOLD NKOMO THAT HE HAD READ WITH INTEREST THE GOZ FAST TRACK REGULATIONS, CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTO6844 PAGE 01 HARARE 02398 02 OF 02 141109Z ACTION AF-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 USNW-00 DODE-00 DS-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 LAB-01 VCE-00 NSAE-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /003W -------------- 11F416 141109Z /38 P 141106Z AUG 01 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9460 INFO SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY NSC WASHDC AMEMBASSY NAIROBI C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 002398 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF, AF/S, AND AF/RA LONDON FOR GURNEY PARIS FOR WILLIAMS-MANIGAULT NSC FOR SENIOR DIRECTOR FRAZIER NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/09/06 TAGS: PREL PGOV ZI SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICAN EMBASSY COMMENTS ON ZIMBABWE SINCE HE WAS INTERESTED IN A LITTLE FARM OF HIS OWN. HE THEN LAUGHED OUT LOUD AT NKOMO'S OBVIOUS DISCOMFITURE AND CONTINUED TO BAIT THE MINISTER ABOUT THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF CHANGING HIS ZIMBABWE DOLLARS BACK TO RAND WHEN HE RETURNED CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 02398 02 OF 02 141109Z HOME, SINCE THE ZIMBABWE DOLLAR WAS NO LONGER A CONVERTIBLE CURRENCY. NKOMO REPLIED THAT THE GOZ WOULD TAKE STEPS ON THE MONETARY FRONT THAT "WOULD SHOCK" THE WORLD. RAMBAU SAID THAT HE QUAILED TO THINK WHAT THESE MIGHT BE AND ADDED THAT HE HAD BEEN EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE DURING THE EXCHANGE. -------------- -- MONEY TROUBLES FOR THE AFRICAN DIPLOMATIC CORPS -------------- -- ¶7. (C) RAMBAU SAID THAT THE SOUTH AFRICAN MISSION HAS NOT HAD SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE GOZ, ALTHOUGH THIS IS NOT THE CASE FOR A NUMBER OF AFRICAN EMBASSIES. THE FOREX SHORTAGE HAD RESULTED IN SEVERAL BANKS INTERPRETING GOZ REGULATIONS AS LIMITING THE FOREX THAT FOREIGN MISSIONS COULD ACCESS. THIS HAD BEEN A REAL PROBLEM FOR EMBASSIES AND PERSONNEL WHO SURVIVED ON DOLLAR TRANSFERS FROM HOME, AND WHO HAD NO INTEREST IN BUYING ZIMBABWE DOLLARS AT THE OFFICIAL 55 RATE OR WHO NEEDED U.S. CURRENCY FOR TRIPS HOME. A DELEGATION FROM THE AFRICAN GROUP HAD MET THE MFA PERMANENT SECRETARY TO COMPLAIN THAT THIS VIOLATING DIPLOMATIC NORMS. (THE ZAMBIAN DCM OBLIQUELY REFERRED THIS MEETING IN A SEPARATE MEETING.) RAMBAU ASKED IF NON-AFRICAN MISSIONS HAD ENCOUNTERED SIMILAR PROBLEMS. DCM ADMITTED THAT AS A NEWCOMER HE DID NOT KNOW. -------------- COMMENT -------------- CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 02398 02 OF 02 141109Z ¶8. (SBU) INITIAL MEETINGS WITH DIPLOMATS FROM ZIMBABWE'S AFRICAN NEIGHBORS HAVE THUS FAR BEEN CHARACTERIZED BY A FRANKNESS THAT WE FIND UNUSUAL. THEIR COMMENTS ARE MORE OR LESS CONGRUENT WITH WHAT WE ARE HEARING FROM EUROPEAN AND CANADIAN COLLEAGUES. RAMBAU BROKE LITTLE NEW GROUND, ALTHOUGH IT WAS AMUSING TO HEAR HIS COMMENTS ON THE DIFFICULTY OF SCRIPTING VISITING PARLIAMENTARIANS, HARDLY A NEW PHENOMENON ELSEWHERE. WHITEHEAD CONFIDENTIAL >