MINISTER REPORTEDLY SHOOTS OPPOSITION MEMBER AS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 000540

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2014
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PINR ASEC ZI ZANU PF MDC
SUBJECT: MINISTER REPORTEDLY SHOOTS OPPOSITION MEMBER AS
VIOLENCE, INTIMIDATION, IRREGULARITIES MAR BY-ELECTION

REF: HARARE 530

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


1. (C) SUMMARY: Two eyewitnesses identified Minister without
portfolio Elliott Manyika as a shooter in an incident on the
second day of voting in Zengeza that left one dead and 11
injured. Emboffs observed several instances of voting
irregularities during the voting days: double voting lines,
assisted voting, an unexplained name registry near a polling
station. Given the violence, intimidation, and
irregularities, whoever wins, it cannot be said that the poll
was free and fair. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) Emboffs participated in a diplomatic observation
effort and observed voting on March 27 - 28 in Zengeza (a
high-density suburb of Harare). According to the
GOZ-controlled Herald, 15,388 votes were cast, and 1,293
prospective voters were turned away. There are 47,256
registered voters in Zengeza. Results are expected to be
announced in the afternoon of March 29. In the 2000 and 2002
elections in Zengeza MDC candidates polled about 15,000
votes, while ZANU-PF candidates polled about 5,400 votes
(Ref).

Minister Shoots MDC Activists?
--------------


3. (C) Tendekayi Mswata, MDC youth leader in Zengeza, and
Stephen Nyijaz, MDC youth security commander, confirmed a
report by the South African Press Association that Minister
without portfolio Elliott Manyika on March 28 shot two MDC
members, killing one. Mswata said that at 9:00 a.m. on the
second day of voting, a group of five ZANU-PF youths
approached the home of MDC candidate James Makore and began
to hurl stones. A group of about 60 MDC youths camped in
Makore's yard threw stones back and the ZANU-PF youths
retreated. Some minutes later six pick-up trucks stopped on
the road outside Makore's house and about 60 ZANU-PF youths
carrying batons, axes and slingshots jumped out and attacked
the MDC youths and the house. The MDC youths again threw
stones back, about 10 MDC youths sustained soft-tissue
injuries, and the ZANU-PF group retreated beyond the parked
cars.


4. (C) During the attack many MDC youths reached the area of
the parked vehicles. According to Mswata and Nyijaz, who
said they were present for the entire event, from the back of
the ZANU-PF group Minister Manyika drew a pistol and yelled
at the ZANU-PF group to part so he could shoot. Manyika then
shot at least two shots into the MDC crowd. One bullet
struck MDC youth member Francis Chinozvinya in the chest--he
was confirmed dead at a Harare clinic within three hours.
The other wounded MDC youth Arthur Gunzvenzve in the leg.
Mswata was three yards away from Chinozvinya when the shots
were fired. Mswata said that Manyika was 60-70 yards from
the victims. Mswata said that he recognized Manyika's car,
and Manyika himself from his frequent television appearances.
The MDC youths recorded the license plate numbers of the
vehicles involved. Mswata said that other ZANU-PF officials
present were Zengeza ZANU-PF official Murinda Ngomo and
Minister of Mines Amos Midzi. Mswata said about four other
ZANU-PF members had guns but did not fire them. Nyijaz,
however, did not see anyone else with guns.


5. (U) MDC officials said they filed a police report at St.
Mary's police station near Zengeza. Emboffs have seen
Manyika on several occasions at previous recent by-elections
assisting in campaigning and giving campaign speeches at
ZANU-PF rallies.


6. (U) MDC officials said that stone-throwing ZANU-PF youths
attacked Makore's house on March 10 (Ref),March 24 (eight
injured),March 25 (12 injured),March 26 (13 injured),and
March 27 (unspecified number injured),in addition to the
above March 28 incident.


7. (C) Emboffs arrived at the Takakunda Primary School
polling station minutes after a stone-fight had taken place
(there were stones strewn all over the street for a block in
each direction). Police present said that party youths had
clashed. MDC officials said that ZANU-PF youths had stoned a
line of MDC voters. Police arrested three MDC members.
Emboffs observed the voters waiting outside the wall of the
polling station compound complaining that they had waited a
long time and had not been let in yet.


8. (U) A doctor at a Harare medical clinic said the clinic
had treated about 75 people from March 26 - 29 for
soft-tissue injuries sustained during interparty violence in
Zengeza.

Youths Intimidate Voters
--------------


9. (C) Emboffs observed groups of both MDC and ZANU-PF youths
(some ZANU-PF youths reportedly militia members (Ref)),some
consuming alcohol, going around Zengeza. ZANU-PF youths were
also present at several polling stations; at the Ndangariro
Primary School polling station ZANU-PF youths heckled and
swore at Emboffs. On another occasion a gang of unidentified
youths made threatening gestures toward Emboff in his
vehicle. At the Zengeza Three Secondary School polling
station polling officials accused Canadian, Swedish and
Nigerian diplomats of being responsible for colonialism and
threatened to burn their Canadian Embassy vehicle. MDC
officials complained that the groups of ZANU-PF youths
stationed near polling stations intimidated MDC voters away
from standing in line to vote.

Irregularities
--------------


10. (C) At many of the eleven polling stations there were two
lines for voters to enter. There is no provision in Zimbabwe
electoral law for two lines at polling stations. MDC
officials at the polling stations said that people in one
line were groups of ZANU-PF voters and were allowed to vote
before the other line. (Comment: With voter lines reaching
up to 700 people by midday on Saturday, traditionally the day
when most people vote, delays imposed by preferential
treatment may have prompted some to leave without voting.
End Comment.) Presiding officers (the civil servants who run
the polling stations) at polling stations with two lines
generally acknowledged the problem and said it was being
resolved; however, Emboffs never witnessed any line
unification.


11. (C) At one polling station emboff observed a succession
of four to five so-called "assisted voters". Young voters
were being assisted to vote while behind the voting booth by
a ZANU-PF official, a police officer, and an Electoral
Supervisory Commission (ESC) official. Assisted voting is
ostensibly carried out for voters who cannot read ballot
papers, or who otherwise do not understand how to mark the
ballot. The MDC charged that the ruling party paid voters
Z$10,000 (US$2.33) to participate in assisted voting where
their vote would be cast for ZANU-PF. Poloffs conferred with
station presiding officers regarding the total numbers of
votes cast so far, the numbers of assisted voters, and the
numbers of prospective voters turned away. The percentage of
assisted voters fluctuated between 2 - 18 percent at several
polling stations where figures were provided. Dr. Reginald
Matchaba-Hove, Director of the Zimbabwe Election Support
Network (ZESN),said he was surprised at the number of young
people who claimed to be illiterate and who needed voting
assistance. The Herald reported that 8.4 percent of voters
were turned away for not being on the voters' roll, or for
lack of proper identification.


12. (C) At the Dudzai Primary School polling station Emboffs
observed a man with a 10-20 page handwritten list of names.
People who had just voted appeared to check in with him
before exiting the area of the polling station. A Canadian
diplomat asked the man what the list was for; the man hid the
list and ran away. Other people nearby starting singing
hymns and said they were a church group and the list was a
list of their members. The MDC alleges that such lists are
used to confirm votes for ZANU-PF so the voters can claim
some cash or other benefit.


13. (C) The MDC and The Standard, an independent weekly,
reported that a "free" medical clinic set up by ZANU-PF
candidate Christopher Chigumba in Zengeza would only accept
people confirmed as ZANU-PF voters with a letter from the
local ZANU-PF office.

Comment:
--------------


14. (C) Regardless of which party wins the Zengeza election,
given the violence and intimidation during both the
pre-election period and on the voting days themselves, it
cannot be said to have been free and fair. Reftel suggested
that the race might be close and we still believe both
parties have a reasonable chance of winning.


15. (C) The reported involvement of Minister Manyika in the
shooting is troubling. Manyika is an above average tall man
with a patch of white hair near his forehead, i.e. easily
identifiable. In an emotionally charged atmosphere, however,
we cannot discount the possibility of mistaken identity or
fabrication. The picture may become clearer as more of the
many witnesses step forward.


16. (C) The former Governor of Mashonaland Central, Manyika
recently sacrificed his portfolio as Minister of Youth,
Gender Development and Employment Creation, where he oversaw
the controversial National Youth Service Camps, among other
things. As Minister without portfolio he appears to have
assumed full time responsibilities on the campaign trail.
Indeed, the party's approach in Zengeza mirrors the violent
campaign conducted by Manyika in his own Bindura by-election
in 2001, and is likely a portend of campaigns to come in the
run-up to the National Parliamentary elections scheduled for
next March.
SULLIVAN