Movement for Democratic Change treasurer Roy Bennett told United States embassy officials in Pretoria that although the party had organised a protest march to the Zimbabwe consulate in Johannesburg which attracted about 300 people, he was frustrated by the poor organisation and ethnic divisions.
He said that during the protest several Ndebeles were carrying signs calling for an independent Matebeleland.
The embassy said the Zimbabwe exile community in South Africa was unlikely to become a significant factor in policymaking because many in the community were undocumented, and thus tried to keep a low profile.
The community was largely divided along ethnic lines and not well organised.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 07PRETORIA957, SOUTH AFRICA EXPRESSES “CONCERN” ABOUT ZIMBABWE
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|
Reference ID |
Created |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO7900
RR RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSA #0957/01 0751620
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 161620Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8763
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 0943
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2030
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 1022
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0497
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1139
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 6349
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0442
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1023
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0058
RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 4076
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 PRETORIA 000957
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2017
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA EXPRESSES “CONCERN” ABOUT ZIMBABWE
CRACKDOWN
REF: HARARE 218 AND PREVIOUS
Classified By: Political Counselor Raymond Brown. Reasons 1.4(b) and (
d).
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Government of Zimbabwe’s March 11
violent attack on opposition leaders has revitalized the
debate on Zimbabwe in South Africa and put pressure on the
South African Government (SAG) to act. DepForMin Pahad’s
carefully worded March 13 statement, expressing concern about
the arrests, has been strongly criticized by a number of
leading civil society groups and opposition parties as
“shamefully weak.” While the SAG has been cautious in
criticizing Mugabe in public, we are hearing reports,
including from the ANC Secretary General, that Mbeki and
other senior leaders are increasingly worried. The
deteriorating economic situation, growing rifts in ZANU-PF,
and increasing opposition activity could lead to an
acceleration and intensification of South Africa’s engagement
— especially if the SAG perceives there to be a looming
refugee crisis. END SUMMARY.
—————————————
SAG’s Carefully-Worded Public Statement
—————————————
¶2. (U) Deputy ForMin Aziz Pahad expressed “concern” about
reports of arrests, detention and “reported” assault of
Zimbabwean opposition leaders, in a March 13 Department of
Foreign Affairs press release. He also pointedly highlighted
the SAG’s concern about the “deteriorating political and
economic situation.” Pahad urged the Government of Zimbabwe
“to ensure that the rule of law including respect for rights
of all Zimbabweans and leaders of various political parties
is respected.” The statement also called for dialogue among
the key parties to solve the country’s current challenges and
promised South African assistance to “ensure the objective of
dialogue among all political parties is realized.” (For full
text of statement, see para 15.)
—————————-
Civil Society More Outspoken
—————————-
¶3. (U) Spokesman for the Congress of South African Trade
Unions (COSATU) Patrick Craven criticized Pahad’s statement
as “shamefully weak” and “disgraceful in the face of such
massive attacks on democracy and human rights.” COSATU
Secretary General Zwelinzima Vavi said that the assaults in
SIPDIS
Harare showed that South Africa’s “silent diplomacy” had not
worked. COSATU pledged support for the planned April 3-4
strike by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU).
¶4. (C) Zackie Achmat and Nathan Geffen, two leaders of the
leading HIV/AIDS advocacy group in the country, the Treatment
Action Committee (TAC), wrote a letter to the Cape Times
newspaper urging South African civil society to “act now with
sustained conviction” to strengthen COSATU’s campaign on
Zimbabwe. Achmat and Geffen said that South African groups,
including TAC, had done “too little” on Zimbabwe and said “we
(government and civil society) are all responsible for the
human rights abuses, hunger and tyranny over our neighbors.”
(COMMENT: TAC involvement in the Zimbabwe debate is
potentially positive, as TAC is one of the most effective
civil society organizations in the country. TAC deserves
much of the credit for the shift in SAG policy on HIV/AIDS,
particularly the provision of ARVs. It is a noteworthy
departure for TAC, which previously has focused solely on
HIV/AIDS-related issues. END COMMENT.)
¶5. (U) The South African Council of Churches (SACC) also
criticized the SAG, arguing that the “silence of the South
African Government is aggravating the situation. Our leaders
must show they are committed to helping the people of
Zimbabwe find rapid solutions to the many problems
PRETORIA 00000957 002 OF 004
confronting them.” Catholic Cardinal Wilfred Napier,
speaking with Reverand Useni Sibanda from Zimbabwe’s
Christian Alliance, said publicly March 14 that he was
concerned about the Zimbabwean government’s lack of respect
for human rights.
¶6. (C) During a private March 13 meeting with Durban CG and
PolOffs, Napier said Zimbabwe is a sensitive issue since the
church leadership in Harare does not want him to speak out.
He said that the Zimbabwean Catholic bishops, except for Pius
Ncube, continue to point to the so-called “Vision Document”
as the solution to Zimbabwe’s political challenges, a
document Napier believes is too long-term and vague to
address the current crisis. Napier also criticized South
African policy in Zimbabwe as ineffectual. He recounted a
“frustrating” meeting with Mbeki last year, where the
President avoided their questions on Zimbabwe policy, instead
providing a detailed and “belabored” description of his past
efforts to mediate between the Mugabe and the MDC. By the
time Mbeki finally finished, “you felt sorry for him” because
Mbeki had convinced you he had tried everything.
¶7. (C) The MDC organized a protest march on the Zimbabwean
Consulate in Johannesburg, which about 300 people attended.
MDC Treasurer Roy Bennett told PolOff March 15 that he was
frustrated by poor organization and the ethnic divisions that
emerged during the protest planning and event, with several
Ndebeles holding up signs calling for an independent
Matabeleland. (COMMENT: The Zimbabwe exile community in
South Africa is unlikely to become a significant factor in
policymaking. Many in the community are undocumented, and
thus try to keep a low profile. The community is largely
divided along ethnic lines and not well organized. END
COMMENT.)
———————
SAG Worries Privately
———————
¶8. (C) Despite the SAG’s cautious public posture, we are
receiving reports that key leaders in the government and
ruling African National Congress (ANC) are increasingly
worried about the situation in Zimbabwe. ANC
Secretary-General Motlanthe met March 6 with Institute for
SIPDIS
Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) analyst and close Embassy
contact Sydney Masamvu. Motlanthe told Masamvu that SAG and
ANC leaders now agree that “getting Bob out” is the first
step toward change in Zimbabwe. Motlanthe said that Mbeki
believes it will be impossible for Zimbabwe to move forward
as long as Mugabe remains in power.
¶9. (C) According to Masamvu, Motlanthe said that both the
Mnangagwa and Mujuru ZANU-PF factions have visited Motlanthe
in recent weeks to ask for South African help in easing
Mugabe out of power. In late February, ZANU-PF Chairman John
Nkomo also visited Motlanthe and quietly made the same
request. (NOTE: Masamvu believes that the sympathies of
Nkomo, a long-time Mugabe supporter, ultimately lie with the
Mujuru camp. END NOTE.) South Africa’s preferred scenario,
Masamvu reported, is for Zimbabwe to hold elections in 2008
under a new constitution. ZANU-PF would put forward someone
besides Mugabe, perhaps Simba Makoni, as their presidential
candidate.
¶10. (SBU) President Mbeki met with President Mugabe March 6
in Accra on the margins of Ghana’s 50th independence
celebrations, Mbeki’s spokesman confirmed. (NOTE: Our
interlocutors in the SAG have been tight-lipped about the
details of the meeting, but unconfirmed press reports suggest
that Mbeki advised Mugabe not to extend his presidential term
to 2010. END NOTE.)
————–
Press Reaction
————–
PRETORIA 00000957 003 OF 004
¶11. (U) The crackdown on the MDC and civil society protesters
has generated significant press coverage in South Africa,
including a series of front page stories in the major
newspapers. The photo of injured MDC leader Morgan
Tsvangirai walking to court was widely reprinted. Following
SIPDIS
are a samples of some of the front page headlines: “Bloodied
but Unbowed” (3/14/07 BusinessDay), “Tsvangirai held in
protest mayhem” (3/12/07 BusinessDay), “Brain Scan for Morgan
(3/15/07 Citizen), “MDC leader rejects medical care” (3/14/07
Pretoria News), “Zim cops beat MDC leader to a pulp” (3/13/07
Pretoria News), “Tsvangirai Battered and Bruised” (3/14/07
Star), “Tsvangirai brutally beaten after rally” (3/13/07
Star), “Go Hang: Mugabe tells West after opposition beating
(3/16/07 Citizen), and “Zimbabwe: The Endgame?” (3/16/07 Mail
& Guardian).
——-
Comment
——-
¶12. (C) The Government of Zimbabwe’s March 11 violent
crackdown has reengerized the public debate in South Africa
on Zimbabwe policy — which had been largely dormant since
Operation “Restore Order” in 2005 — and put pressure on the
SAG to act. The arrest and assault on MDC leader Tsvangirai
enhanced his and the MDC’s credibility in South Africa,
almost overnight. We had often heard the criticism that
Tsvangirai and other opposition leaders had not “sacrificed”
SIPDIS
enough for their cause, as the ANC did during the
anti-apartheid struggle. Photos of a bruised and beaten
Tsvangirai help defuse this (unfair) charge.
SIPDIS
¶13. (C) We agree that Pahad’s statement was overly cautious.
However, the public call on the Government of Zimbabwe to
respect human rights and the recognition of the
“deteriorating political and economic situation” is more than
the SAG has said in the past, especially from a government
that has been reluctant to even hint at public criticism of
Mugabe. The SAG continues to believe that strong public
criticism will lead Mugabe to cut off all contact with them
and undermine their leverage with Harare.
¶14. (C) South Africa’s overall agenda remains the same. The
SAG wants a peaceful transition to a new, “responsible”
ZANU-PF government, ideally with some opposition
participation, and a new constitution. Mugabe has stymied
their efforts to put this plan in place, outplaying Mbeki at
every turn. However, the deteriorating economic situation,
growing rifts in ZANU-PF, and increasing opposition activity
could lead to an acceleration and intensification of South
Africa’s engagement — especially if the SAG perceives there
to be a looming refugee crisis.
———————
Text of SAG Statement
———————
¶15. (U) The text of the March 13 Department of Foreign
Affairs statement:
South African Government Statement on the current situation
in Zimbabwe
The South African Government has noted reports emanating from
Zimbabwe regarding the current difficulties being experienced
by the political leadership in the country including the
arrests, detention and reported assault of some opposition
leaders.
“South Africa expresses its concerns about these reports as
well as the deteriorating political and economic situation in
Zimbabwe. In this regard, we are of the view that the
current difficulties are symptomatic of the broader political
and economic challenges facing Zimbabwe,” said Deputy
PRETORIA 00000957 004 OF 004
Minister Aziz Pahad.
“Accordingly, South Africa has consistently maintained and
moved from the premise that only dialogue among the main
political protagonists can help bring about a lasting
solution to the current political and economic challenges
facing Zimbabwe.
“In this context, South Africa will continue to monitor the
situation closely and work with all parties in Zimbabwe in
the political, economic, trade and social sectors to ensure
the objective of dialogue among all political parties is
realized,” continued Deputy Minister Pahad.
“Pursuant to this objective, South Africa urges the
Zimbabwean Government to ensure that the rule of law
including respect for rights of all Zimbabweans and leaders
of various political parties is respected.
“Similarly, we appeal to leaders of opposition political
parties to work towards a climate that is conducive to
finding a lasting solution to the current challenges faced by
the people of Zimbabwe,” concluded Deputy Minister Pahad.
BOST
(19 VIEWS)
