FOOD AID PROGRAM JUST IN TIME IN LOWER GWERU

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000583

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR J. FRAZER
LONDON FOR C. GURNEY
PARIS FOR C. NEARY
NAIROBI FOR T. PFLAUMER
USAID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA FOR HAJJAR, KHANDAGLE AND MARX,
DCHA/FFP FOR LANDIS, BRAUSE, SKORIC AND PETERSEN,
AFR/SA FOR POE AND COPSON, AFR/SD FOR ISALROW AND WHELAN
PRETORIA FOR FFP DISKIN AND OFDA BRYAN
NAIROBI FOR DCHA/OFDA/ARO FOR RILEY, MYER AND SMITH,
REDSO/ESA/FFP FOR SENYKORR
ROME PLEASE PASS TO FODAG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2013
TAGS: PGOV EAID KHIV ZI
SUBJECT: FOOD AID PROGRAM JUST IN TIME IN LOWER GWERU

Classified By: POLITICAL OFFICER KIMBERLY JEMSION FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) A
ND (D).

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Summary
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1. (U) PolOff attended the official launch of the Consortium
for Southern African Famine Emergency (C-SAFE) project by
CARE International in Lower Gweru, Midlands province on March

13. Food distributions are occurring just in time, as
several people had collapsed in the weeks preceding CARE
distributions. In addition, at least 20 people have also
died due to AIDS-related illnesses over the last few weeks.

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Lower Gweru Food Just in Time
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2. (U) PolOff attended the official launch of the Consortium
for Southern African Famine Emergency (C-SAFE) project by
CARE International in Lower Gweru, Midlands province on March

13. C-SAFE is a regional food assistance program to
Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi involving CARE International,
World Vision, and Catholic Relief Services. The Zimbabwe
program targets 664,746 beneficiaries in seven districts.
CARE is working in Gweru and Chirumhanzu in Midlands province
and Gutu in Masvingo province.


3. (U) PolOff spoke with a Gweru-based field officer about
the situation in Gweru. The field officer, who began working
with CARE in January, said this was the first time CARE would
be distributing all three commodities--10-kg whole-kernel
corn, 1.8 kg beans, and 600 ml vegetable oil--to
beneficiaries. This was the third distribution for the ward.


4. (U) The field officer told PolOff that he could see the
difference in the community. He said prior to the February
distribution, which was actually distributed the week of
March 3, people had been fainting and children were not
attending school regularly because of hunger. The field
officer and Stephen Gwynne-Vaughn, the Assistant Country
Director, said they distributed the February rations late
because of problems getting commodities across the South
African/Zimbabwe border at Beitbridge. Both said they got to
Lower Gweru just in time.


5. (U) Crops in the region were in very poor condition.
Corn stalks were either dried out or appeared severely
stunted. MDC MP for Gweru Rural, Renson Gasela, told PolOff
that the people in his constituency would harvest little if
anything and will need food assistance until this time next
year.


6. (U) The field officer said that, overall, compilation of
the beneficiary list went well except that people who lived
in growth points were denied access to relief food, as were
people with formal sector employment. People living near
growth points were classified as living in an urban area and
were declared ineligible for food aid. The field officer
thought this ridiculous because the people living in the
growth points are no better off than their neighbors in the
more rural areas. (Note: A growth point is a collection of
permanent commercial structures in a rural area. The growth
point often includes a grocery store, barbershop/beauty
salon, butcher, and a bottle store. People living in and
around the growth point may also have piped water and
electricity. End note.)


7. (U) The field officer complained to PolOff that even
though he and his colleagues helped distribute hundreds of
tons of corn, they do not have any corn from which to make
sadza, the staple cornmeal mush eaten daily. He said he and
his colleagues had complained to CARE about their plight,
asking for assistance in procuring corn, but were informed
that they were ineligible to receive CARE food. The field
officer also said their long work hours made it difficult for
them to shop.

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AIDS Taking Its Toll
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8. (U) During the drive to the distribution site, PolOff
noticed at least a score of new graves in the Gweru cemetery.
The field officer mentioned there had been more than 20
deaths over the last two weeks. He thought they were most
likely due to AIDS-related illnesses. He commented that the
cemeteries could not keep up with demand and that funeral
services were on a 30-40 minute schedule to accommodate all
mourners.

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Mugabe Capitalizes on C-SAFE Launch
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9. (U) The official ceremony consisted of skits and songs by
the primary and secondary school children and women and of
speeches by local government officials (the CARE field
officer told PolOff that the District Administrator recently
ensured that the government's Grain Marketing Board (GMB)
food was reserved for teachers and nurses),headmen, chiefs,
CARE representatives, and Governor Msipa. The skits focused
on the registration process while the songs thanked CARE and
C-SAFE for coming to the community's aid and described how
life had been before C-SAFE/CARE. (Note: Governor Msipa
translated the skits and songs. End Note.)


10. (U) Governor Msipa,s speech began as an apolitical
oratory but then became somewhat political. He began by
thanking CARE and C-SAFE for assisting the people of Gweru.
He stressed that distribution should be apolitical and that
people who receive CARE food should not also receive GMB
food. He also urged CARE to address the complaints of the
wage earners who were ineligible for aid but could not find
food to purchase and to find a solution to the growth point
dilemma. CARE's Assistant Country Director Gwynne-Vaughn
seemed surprised to hear about this characterization of
growth points as urban areas and seemed willing to work on a
solution. He also wondered aloud to PolOff whether the
ineligibility was due to the people having formal sector
employment.


11. (U) Then, as testament to the politician that he is,
Msipa told the audience that he had met with President Robert
Mugabe and informed him of the plight of the people of Lower
Gweru and the launch of the C-SAFE project. Mugabe told
Msipa to tell the people that he was working for them and
that he suffered with them. Mugabe gave Msipa several bags
of fertilizer, which were delivered midway through the
ceremony, for the ward.

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Comment
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12. (C) PolOff was surprised at the ZANU-PF fertilizer
donation at, what was to be, an apolitical CARE/C-SAFE launch
and food distribution. As far as PolOff could ascertain,
none of the other speeches, skits, or songs hinted at a
political party, although MDC member, Renson Gasela, who is
on trial for treason with Morgan Tsvangirai and Welshman
Ncube, represents the district. Gwynne-Vaughn also was
surprised by the fertilizer donation, commenting to PolOff
that the normally moderate Msipa was a politician after all.


13. (C) Comment Continued: PolOff is not sure if the Gweru
beneficiaries were aware of the origin of the food, although
the vegetable oil cans were printed with the letters USA.
The corn bags were printed with WFP and the beans were from
the U.S. During the ceremony, PolOff was introduced with the
remark that the U.S. is the largest food aid donor. In his
speech, Gwynne-Vaughn also mentioned that the U.S. is the
biggest donor to WFP and that USAID sponsors C-SAFE, although
it was not clear how many of those in the audience knew of
USAID's connection with the U.S. Government. End Comment.
SULLIVAN