Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08HARARE520
2008-06-19 13:42:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Harare
Cable title:
AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH SADC OBSERVATION LEADER
how-toVZCZCXRO3244 OO RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN DE RUEHSB #0520 1711342 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 191342Z JUN 08 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3045 INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2064 RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2185 RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0727 RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1462 RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1820 RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2241 RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4672 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1331 RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000520
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR S. HILL
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PHUM KDEM ZI
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH SADC OBSERVATION LEADER
REF: HARARE 519
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Glenn Warren for reason 1.4 (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000520
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR S. HILL
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PHUM KDEM ZI
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH SADC OBSERVATION LEADER
REF: HARARE 519
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Glenn Warren for reason 1.4 (d)
1. (SBU) The Ambassador met June 17 with Tanki Mothae,
director of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security
Affairs. Mothae is currently heading the SADC observers in
Zimbabwe.
2. (C) Mothae said there were currently close to 200 SADC
observers in Zimbabwe; SADC had committed to 350 and the rest
would arrive in the next week. Observers were being deployed
in teams of three and four persons and there were now at
least four teams in each of Zimbabwe's 10 provinces. SADC
currently had 40 vehicles and expected to have 10 more.
There was sufficient fuel.
3. (C) Mothae said he was well aware of the violence in
Zimbabwe. He was constantly receiving reports and attempting
to verify incidents of violence. He told the Ambassador that
the previous evening he had received a report of the burning
of a house in Hatcliff, a high-density area in Harare. He
drove there and observed the smoldering house; fire fighters
had just extinguished the flames. He learned that an MDC
Councillor had left the house to take a friend, beaten by
ZANU-PF, to the hospital. While the Councillor was gone,
ZANU-PF members had abducted his wife and child. (NOTE: We
later learned that the child had been dropped at a police
station. The wife was killed and mutilated. END NOTE.)
4. (C) Noting that the role of SADC was to observe an
election, Mothae questioned SADC's mission since it was
obvious there would be no free and fair election and that we
were witnessing an incipient coup. Apart from the violence,
the MDC was unable to campaign. It could not hold rallies
and had no access to the media. He commented that neither
party would accept the result of the election. The MDC would
not accept the result of an obviously unfair election, and
ZANU-PF's attitude was demonstrated by Mugabe's statement
that "A vote for the MDC is a vote for war."
5. (C) Mothae told the Ambassador he was going to Angola for
several days and hoped to impress on the SADC Organ the
necessity of dealing with the escalating violence. At the
time of our meeting, he had no concrete suggestions as to
what could be done.
--------------
COMMENT
--------------
6. (C) It is impossible to spend any time in Zimbabwe and be
unaware of the spiraling violence. As with the UN (Ref),the
question is whether SADC will make its findings public and
dare to criticize the government. END COMMENT.
Warren
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR S. HILL
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PHUM KDEM ZI
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH SADC OBSERVATION LEADER
REF: HARARE 519
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Glenn Warren for reason 1.4 (d)
1. (SBU) The Ambassador met June 17 with Tanki Mothae,
director of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security
Affairs. Mothae is currently heading the SADC observers in
Zimbabwe.
2. (C) Mothae said there were currently close to 200 SADC
observers in Zimbabwe; SADC had committed to 350 and the rest
would arrive in the next week. Observers were being deployed
in teams of three and four persons and there were now at
least four teams in each of Zimbabwe's 10 provinces. SADC
currently had 40 vehicles and expected to have 10 more.
There was sufficient fuel.
3. (C) Mothae said he was well aware of the violence in
Zimbabwe. He was constantly receiving reports and attempting
to verify incidents of violence. He told the Ambassador that
the previous evening he had received a report of the burning
of a house in Hatcliff, a high-density area in Harare. He
drove there and observed the smoldering house; fire fighters
had just extinguished the flames. He learned that an MDC
Councillor had left the house to take a friend, beaten by
ZANU-PF, to the hospital. While the Councillor was gone,
ZANU-PF members had abducted his wife and child. (NOTE: We
later learned that the child had been dropped at a police
station. The wife was killed and mutilated. END NOTE.)
4. (C) Noting that the role of SADC was to observe an
election, Mothae questioned SADC's mission since it was
obvious there would be no free and fair election and that we
were witnessing an incipient coup. Apart from the violence,
the MDC was unable to campaign. It could not hold rallies
and had no access to the media. He commented that neither
party would accept the result of the election. The MDC would
not accept the result of an obviously unfair election, and
ZANU-PF's attitude was demonstrated by Mugabe's statement
that "A vote for the MDC is a vote for war."
5. (C) Mothae told the Ambassador he was going to Angola for
several days and hoped to impress on the SADC Organ the
necessity of dealing with the escalating violence. At the
time of our meeting, he had no concrete suggestions as to
what could be done.
--------------
COMMENT
--------------
6. (C) It is impossible to spend any time in Zimbabwe and be
unaware of the spiraling violence. As with the UN (Ref),the
question is whether SADC will make its findings public and
dare to criticize the government. END COMMENT.
Warren