COMMERCIAL FARMERS' LEADERSHIP IS THE VICTIM OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 002437

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JFRAZER
LONDON FOR CGURNEY
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER
PARIS FOR NEARY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2012
TAGS: EAGR PGOV ZI
SUBJECT: COMMERCIAL FARMERS' LEADERSHIP IS THE VICTIM OF
DEEP PHILOSOPHICAL DIVISIONS


Classified By: Labor officer Karen Bel for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Both Colin Cloete, President, and DAVID
Hasluck, Director, of the Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU)
tendered their resignations on October 29 at the CFU's
national council meeting. These resignations, both of which
are effective within thirty days, highlight broad gulfs --
between those remaining on their farms and those completely
dispossessed, between those who favor dialogue with the GOZ
and those who favor confrontation, between those who believe
they have a future alongside ZANU-PF and those who advocate
for a wholesale political change. Part of the pressure which
resulted in these resignations was instigated by inflammatory
press reports of the two leaders' meeting with an informal
delegation of visiting Americans headed by NY Councilman
Charles Barron. Deputy Director Dr. Jerry Grant has also
resigned, leaving Vice President Doug Taylor-Freeme -- who is
more disposed to confrontation with the GOZ -- in charge
until a new president and director are chosen on November 26.
However, with as few as 600 commercial farmers (of whom 400
are currently under either Section 5 preliminary notice or
Section 8 final notice of acquisition) from a previous high
of 4,500 commercial farmers remaining on their land, this
latest fracture in solidarity may well signal the complete
demise of commercial farmers as an effective and cohesive
group. End summary.

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Internal Conflicts Brewing
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2. (SBU) Colin Cloete, who was elected President in 2001,
has been one of the prime advocates maintaining dialogue with
the ZANU-PF GOZ. Although he has experienced continued
pressure from settlers and local land committee officials on
his own farm in the Norton area, Cloete has continued to
express hope that the GOZ would recognize that white
Zimbabwean commercial farmers have a valuable role to play in
Zimbabwe's economic recovery. DAVID Hasluck, who has been
Director since 1984, is also an advocate for dialogue with
the GOZ. Hasluck remains on his farm, and is currently
proceeding with a tobacco crop despite the presence of
settlers on his land. Both men believe that "when things
come right," Zimbabwe will need commercial farmers in order
to re-create food security as well as a viable economy.


3. (SBU) The CFU has been subjected to multiple pressures
during the past six months. The first wave of Section 8
final acquisition orders "matured" in August, and thousands
of farmers were forced off their land by settlers, land
committee members, ZANU-PF beneficiaries, and war veteran
groups. At the same time, some commercial farmers formed
Justice for Agriculture (JAG),a hardline advocacy group
which claimed a mandate to publicize the plight of commercial
farmers, dispossessed farm workers, and agro-businesses, all
of which are suffering under the chaotic land reform program.
JAG encouraged farmers to keep their title deeds, resist
attempts to subdivide their land, and challenge the GOZ in
court wherever possible. In September, the CFU suspended
regional officer Ben Freeth for taking a "confrontational"
approach towards the government after he denounced the GOZ in
a prayer at a CFU meeting. Many of the remaining CFU members
were incensed that Freeth was suspended for speaking what
many of them privately believed.

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Blindsided by the GOZ-controlled Press
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4. (C) However, the final nail in the coffin was apparently
Hasluck's statement -- taken out of context and published in
the GOZ-controlled press -- in which he reportedly unleashed
a "surprise onslaught" blaming Britain for a diplomatic
standoff with Harare, resulting in commercial farmers failing
to receive compensation for their land. Hasluck admits
making statements about Britain in the Barron meeting, but he
claims that his statements were made in response to direct
and specific questions and did not take the form of an
"onslaught" against anybody. Post had contacted the CFU in
order to facilitate a meeting with the Barron entourage
(which was in Zimbabwe at the invitation of the GOZ) after
Barron stated that his group wanted to get "the other side of
the story," only to be told that the GOZ had already arranged
a meeting. When Barron's group arrived at the CFU offices --
apparently now perceived as a "legitimate" fact-finding
mission due to Post's request -- it had grown to include
several prominent ZANU-PF journalists. In retrospect, the
CFU should have set the usual ground rules for the
participation of the press. Despite doubts as to the group's
intentions, however, Hasluck and Cloete voiced the CFU's
position. Their worst fears were realized when a distorted
version of the meeting made the front page of the following
day's Herald, with a picture of the Americans seated with the
two commercial farmers, alongside reports that Hasluck was
now joining Mugabe in blaming Britain for all of Zimbabwe's
troubles.

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Comment
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5. (C) This situation highlights the risks which Embassy
contacts face when they agree to meet with unofficial
delegations, particularly those that have some degree of
solidarity with Mugabe's regime. The Barron delegation also
attempted to bring an expanded group in to meet with several
other Zimbabwean interlocutors unsympathetic toward the GOZ,
and could have faced the same press treatment. However,
these individuals were sufficiently wary that they refused to
allow ZANU-PF press participation. Regardless, in the case
of Amani Trust, the Barron delegation apparently leaked
accusations about international funding of Amani to the GOZ
press afterwards, and this information featured prominently
in subsequent press attempts to cast Amani as a "western
imperialist puppet" organization. As long as visiting
American groups -- either knowingly or unwittingly -- are
subject to exploitation and manipulation by the GOZ, it may
be prudent to limit USG support for future unofficial trips.


6. (C) In the case of the CFU, it is unlikely that Hasluck
made the statements attributed to him in the manner reported,
but truth is less important than perception in the
highly-charged environment of Zimbabwe. The alleged Hasluck
"onslaught" against Britain neatly parrots the current
ZANU-PF anti-British rhetoric and exploited pre-existing
rifts in the dwindling ranks of the beleaguered CFU.
Unfortunately, the CFU has now lost three of the few moderate
voices in its leadership, and another potential source of
civic debate and civic action has been silenced.
SULLIVAN