Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03HARARE2143
2003-10-28 14:42:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Harare
Cable title:  

RIOTING AT UZ - DAY TWO

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PINR ASEC ZI 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

281442Z Oct 03
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 002143 

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR J. FRAZER
LONDON FOR C. GURNEY
PARIS FOR C. NEARY
NAIROBI FOR T. PFLAUMER
DS/OP/AF

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2013
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR ASEC ZI
SUBJECT: RIOTING AT UZ - DAY TWO


Classified By: Political Officer Audu Besmer for reasons 1.5 b/d

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 002143

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR J. FRAZER
LONDON FOR C. GURNEY
PARIS FOR C. NEARY
NAIROBI FOR T. PFLAUMER
DS/OP/AF

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2013
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR ASEC ZI
SUBJECT: RIOTING AT UZ - DAY TWO


Classified By: Political Officer Audu Besmer for reasons 1.5 b/d


1. (C) For the second straight day, police on October 28
used tear gas to disperse crowds of students at the
University of Zimbabwe (UZ). UZ MDC coordinator Gift
Nyandoro said that the student leadership requested a meeting
with the Vice-Chancellor on October 28 to discuss the
non-payment of the students' stipends called "payouts". The
Vice-Chancellor refused to meet, and students then attacked
the Vice-Chancellor's car with sticks and rocks breaking all
the windows and damaging it cosmetically. Nyandoro estimated
that about 1000 students went on to break other windows, and
cause light damage to campus buildings before riot police
arrived and dispersed them. Nyandoro could not confirm
whether there were any student injuries.


2. (C) Nyandoro said that currently the payout is Z$331,000
(US$58.58) per semester, which should have been paid at the
beginning of the semester a month ago. The students are
demanding an increase to at least Z$500,000 (US$88.50). The
UZ administration has offered them Z$80,000 total; the
students have refused and nothing has been paid. The
students complain that they are hungry and need the payout
for basic expenses like transport and food.


3. (C) The student leadership distributed flyers in which
they paraphrased President Bush saying, "we will not
discriminate between terrorists and those who harbor
terrorists" referring to the UZ administration as terrorists.
The flyers also proclaimed a "Jihad" against the UZ
administration--a borrowed term which Nyandoro said they used
to express the depth of their anger and commitment.


4. (C) COMMENT: Although this is the second day of rioting at
UZ we do not anticipate events there to spiral out of
control, or spill into other areas of Harare. The
environment here is complicated by widespread discontent over
economic hardships. There have been a various protests in
recent weeks: ZCTU, NCA, UZ students, UZ faculty; even nurses
went on strike this week demanding higher salaries. However,
these protests are uncoordinated, and the opposition MDC,
though generally supportive, has not stepped into any
coordinating role. The GOZ tends to use just as much force
as is necessary to quash dissent, but if these small-scale
protests continue, the GOZ could react more harshly.
SULLIVAN