War veterans leader Joseph Chinotimba who lost the Buhera South elections in March to Movement for Democratic Change candidate Naison Nemadziwa was reportedly collecting a “tax” of beef or cows from villagers in the area because they had “cheated him” so he needed to recoup what he lost in the election.
Chinotimba was masterminding the post-elections violence in the area and was being helped by a Colonel Mzilikazi.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 08HARARE712, ZANU-PF INTIMIDATION (STILL) CONTINUES IN RURAL
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Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO5857
OO RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0712/01 2341517
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 211517Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3322
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2221
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2342
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0872
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1619
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1975
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2396
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4828
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1491
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 000712
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR G. GARLAND
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
DCHA/AA FOR MIKE HESS
AFR/AA FOR KATE ALMQUIST AND FRANKLIN MOORE
AFR/SA FOR ELOKEN, LDOBBINS, JKOLE
DCHA/OFDA FOR KLUU, ACONVERY, TDENYSENKO, LTHOMAS
DCHA/FFP FOR JBORNS, JDWORKEN, LPETERSON, ASINK
PRETORIA FOR HHALE, JWESSEL, GJUSTE
STATE/PRM FOR MMCKELVEY, MLANGE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/21/2018
SUBJECT: ZANU-PF INTIMIDATION (STILL) CONTINUES IN RURAL
AREAS
REF: HARARE 652
Classified By: Ambassador James McGee for reason 1.4(d).
——
SUMMARY
——-
¶1. (SBU) Despite a commitment – on paper – by ZANU-PF to
halt violence, reports of violence and intimidation in rural
areas continue. While there has been a notable reduction in
beatings and injuries since the June 27 election and a
further reduction since the signing of the Memorandum of
Understanding on July 21 that launched political negotiations
(reftel), fear and intimidation continue. Notably, food is
used increasingly as a political tool as the ban on
non-governmental organizations and food distribution programs
continue. Perpetrators of violence continue to enjoy
impunity, and some fear that even if a political agreement is
reached, they will not accept it and will renew the campaign
of violence. END SUMMARY.
————————————
MDC offices still sheltering victims
————————————
¶2. (C) Despite calls for a halt to political violence,
reports from rural areas – particularly Manicaland and the
Mashonaland provinces – indicate ZANU-PF structures continue
to intimidate MDC supporters. David Chimhini, MDC MP-elect
for Mutasa North in Manicaland, told poloff on August 19 that
that the MDC’s regional office in Mutare continues to house
about 20 people. The 20 victims went to Mutare either
fleeing violence or immediately following discharge from the
hospital after being beaten, and they continue to fear
returning home. The MDC in Mutare does not have anywhere
else to house them and does not know where to send them. In
a separate meeting with MDC National Youth Organizing
Secretary, Simangaliso Chikataya Mutsigwa, on August 20,
Mutsigwa told poloff that at least 7 people who were
victimized last week in Shamva in Mashonaland Central are
currently at MDC’s headquarters seeking shelter. The victims
from Shamva – one of the areas most affected by violence in
the runup to the June 27 election – were intimidated just
after returning home from Harare, where they’d sought
sanctuary after being intimidated in the post-election
violence. In this latest attack, the ZANU-PF thugs told them
the violence “wasn’t over yet.”
——————-
Manicaland violence
——————-
¶3. (C) Chimhini reported violence in Manicaland is most
prevalent in the Nyanga North and Buhera South
constituencies. He said notorious war veteran Joseph
Chinotimba was leading a campaign of intimidation in Buhera
South, where he recently lost his election for parliament.
Colonel Mzilikazi is helping Chinotimba as well. Chinotimba,
who played a leading role in the land invasions in 2001, has
been collecting a “tax” of beef or cows from villagers in
recent weeks. Chimhini reported that Chinotimba tells the
villagers that the people “cheated him” and that he needs to
collect from them to recoup what he lost in the election.
HARARE 00000712 002 OF 003
Press reports indicate Chinotimba has been ordering village
headmen to pressure returning MDC members and that he has
ordered them to ignore the ongoing negotiations and calls to
end the violence. While Chimhini could not confirm that
report, he said it was likely true.
¶4. (C) In Nyanga North, Chimhini said that intimidation had
followed a similar pattern and that the campaign was being
led by Colonel Kuhuri and a war veteran known as Mashaya. In
these areas and elsewhere in Manicaland, villagers have been
told that losing (ZANU-PF) MPs and councilors are still in
office, even if they lost in the March 29 election. In many
areas, MDC councilors who won in March have still not been
sworn in. In some cases, the Ministry of Local Government,
which has power to appoint “Special Interest Councilors”, has
appointed losing ZANU-PF councilors, ensuring that ZANU-PF
can continue to monitor and manipulate local government.
——————————————— ———–
Food as a political tool in Mashonaland East and Central
——————————————— ———–
¶5. (C) Mutsigwa, from Mashonaland East, and Philip Mabika,
MDC Vice Treasurer for Mashonaland Central, called on poloff
on August 20 and reported that there are still pockets of
violence, but that mostly villagers are being intimidated and
robbed of food, which is being increasingly politicized. In
Zarabani, in Mashonaland Central, MDC members were beaten
within the last two weeks. In Mashonaland East, Mutsigwa
reported the areas of Wedza, Mudzi, and Chikomba were
experiencing acute food shortages, and war vets, ZANU-PF
youth, and soldiers were using the shortage and limited
stocks of food from the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) to bribe
people to change political affiliations. Mutsigwa’s father,
a councilor in Wedza South, has been unable to hold meetings
due to continued ZANU-PF interference. Although he was sworn
into his position, ZANU-PF thugs have forbidden him to hold
meetings because they do not recognize him as councilor.
Mutsigwa and Mubika report that while the torture camps have
been dismantled, the intimidation continues and that people
continue to be forced to attend ZANU-PF rallies and must show
their ZANU-PF cards to receive food aid. Mabika further
reported that the ZANU-PF MP for Mt. Darwin South, Saviour
Kasukwere, forced constituents to “donate” food when they
attended his recent rallies.
¶6. (C) Mutsigwa and Mabika said that food distribution
mechanisms, even through churches, are highly politicized at
the local level. In many areas the Catholic church has a
ZANU-PF member who works with the village chief to identify
those who should receive food aid. The result is that the
MDC members are not receiving food aid. While they
appreciated that food aid should be distributed through a
neutral party, the on-the-ground reality is that ZANU-PF
structures have control.
——-
COMMENT
——-
¶7. (C) This pattern of intimidation, violence, and
manipulation of food aid is a hallmark of ZANU-PF’s political
agenda to subjugate rural populations. The intimidation
appears to be localized and dependent on the individual whim
HARARE 00000712 003 OF 003
of the local ZANU-PF structures, and it continues to be worst
in the northern and eastern provinces. Despite political
agreement to halt the violence, ZANU-PF continues to be
unable or unwilling to actually stop it. In addition, while
MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai has called some attention to
the humanitarian crisis and violence in recent days, the MDC
has not made significant efforts to publicize these ongoing
violations of the Memorandum of Understanding by ZANU-PF.
While mid-level MDC officials may be outraged by the
continued state of affairs in rural areas, it is not clear
that anger has made it to the top or to the negotiating
table. END COMMENT.
MCGEE
(30 VIEWS)
