Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04HARARE445
2004-03-11 14:29:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Harare
Cable title:  

SOUTH AFRICAN TAKE ON THWARTED COUP ATTEMPT

Tags:  PREL PGOV MOPS PINS ASEC ZI EK 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000445 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF, AF/S, AND AF/PD
NSC FOR SENIOR DIRECTOR FRAZER
YAOUNDE PLEASE PASS MALABO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2008
TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS PINS ASEC ZI EK
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICAN TAKE ON THWARTED COUP ATTEMPT

REF: A) HARARE 417 B) HARARE 435 C) YAOUNDE 381

Classified By: DCM REWhitehead due to 1.5 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000445

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF, AF/S, AND AF/PD
NSC FOR SENIOR DIRECTOR FRAZER
YAOUNDE PLEASE PASS MALABO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2008
TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS PINS ASEC ZI EK
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICAN TAKE ON THWARTED COUP ATTEMPT

REF: A) HARARE 417 B) HARARE 435 C) YAOUNDE 381

Classified By: DCM REWhitehead due to 1.5 (b) and (d).


1. (c) Ambassador and DCM met with South African Ambassador
Jeremiah Ndou on March 11 to exchange perspectives on the
detention of 70 purported mercenaries in Harare on March 7.
Ndou provided a list of names, nationalities and passport
numbers and confirmed that all 70 had been resident in South
Africa, many of them dual nationals. He confirmed that the
South African Government had been aware of the intentions of
this group in advance of their arrest. The said that the
Zimbabweans became suspicious when two of the mercenaries
attempting to procure arms in Zimbabwe changed their story
about the proposed end use of this material. He said that
the group intended to travel first to Equatorial Guinea in
support of a coup, then onward to DRC to dispose of some of
the arms to a group near Mbuji Mayi, and finally on to
Burundi for unspecified purposes.


2. (c) Ndou commiserated with us the GOZ's attempt to make
propaganda hay from this incident by claiming that the US and
UK were involved. He also that the event had shifted the
focus from internal politics, to the satisfaction of the GOZ.
Ndou discounted Foreign Minister Mudenge's comments on
capital punishment as the usual grandstanding, since the GOZ
knew that the detainees could at worst be charged with making
a false declaration. He said that the mercenaries would
appear in court today for preliminary hearings. Ndou
observed that the decision to seek arms in Zimbabwe was one
of worst imaginable.


3. (c) Comment. Ndou said that he expects the tempest to
calm by next week, an assessment that we share, although the
GOZ may well seek to prolong coverage of the incident,
including charges of US and UK involvement, to distract the
world from Zimbabwe's simmering internal problems.
SULLIVAN