Finance Minister Tendai Biti on 27 July 2009 received an envelope with a 9mm bullet and a note advising him to “prepare his will”.
He handed the evidence over to the police for forensic analysis.
Though shaken Biti said he was committed to continuing his efforts to rebuild the economy and reform the country’s previous ruinous fiscal policies.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 09HARARE630, ZIM NOTES 07-31-2009
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Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
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VZCZCXRO2880
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0630/01 2150751
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 030751Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4779
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 2361
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2969
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 3086
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 1515
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2349
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 2716
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 3134
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 5577
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2264
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 000630
AF/S FOR B. WALCH
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR L.DOBBINS AND J. HARMON
COMMERCE FOR ROBERT TELCHIN
SIPDIS
E.O.12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PHUM ECON ZI
SUBJECT: ZIM NOTES 07-31-2009
———–
¶1. SUMMARY
———–
Topics of the week:
– Media Freedoms on the Horizon?
– NCA Calls for Halt to Constitutional Process…
– Biti Receives Death Threat…
– MDC-T MP Arrested for Stealing a Cell Phone…
– Anglicans Defy Court Order and Ordain New Bishop…
– Tribal Chief Evicted for KP Involvement…
– MDC to Fill Ambassadorial Slots…
– Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Liberalizes Currency and Export
Controls Further…
– Zimbabwean Businesses Form Council…
– Government Urged to Set Up a Revolving Fund…
– Inflation Down, But Downside Risks Remain…
—————————–
On the Political/Social Front
——————————
¶2. Media Freedoms on the Horizon? After an eight-year ban, the BBC
and CNN have been invited back into Zimbabwe. The BBC has had a
team in country since July 25 reporting on a variety of issues
including the inclusive government, rule of law, and land reform.
Though both press outlets were invited by the Ministry of Media,
Information and Publicity (MMIP), BBC’s activities have been closely
monitored by State agents. Additionally, the government may permit
the production of an independent newspaper as a registration
application by the producers of the former Daily News –shut down
since 2003– was accepted and the MMIP has encouraged the producers
of the weekly Zimbabwe Independent and The Standard to establish a
separate daily newspaper. Journalists and civic groups are highly
sceptical that the government is truly committed to promoting
freedom of the press. See Harare 626.
¶3. NCA Calls for Halt to Constitutional Process… Following the
National Constitutional Assembly’s one day “people’s constitutional
convention” in Chitungwiza on July 27, the several thousand NCA
members present called on government to abandon the ongoing
Parliament-led constitutional process. The NCA –a coalition of
several civic society groups and smaller opposition political
parties- – intends on shadowing the official constitutional process
and will hold its own countrywide consultations in the next four
months before the findings are consolidated into a “peoples” draft
constitution.
¶4. Biti Receives Death Threat… On July 27, Finance Minister
Tendai Biti (MDC-T) received an envelope containing a 9mm bullet and
a note advising him to “prepare your will.” Biti has handed the
evidence over to the police for forensic analysis. Though shaken
up, Biti is committed to continuing his efforts to rebuild the
economy and reform the government’s past ruinous fiscal policies.
See Harare 622.
¶5. MDC-T MP Arrested for Stealing a Cell Phone… The Deputy
Minister of Youth, Tamsanqa Mahlangu of the MDC-T, was arrested on
July 28 and imprisoned for allegedly stealing a cell phone belonging
to war veteran leader Joseph Chinotimba two weeks ago. Mahlangu has
spent several nights in prison after the attorney general’s office
refused to take him to court; the police have 48 hours in which to
Qrefused to take him to court; the police have 48 hours in which to
take an accused person to court. In an additional twist of
absurdity, Chinotimba is suing Mahlangu for US$19 million on grounds
of “loss of business.”
¶6. Anglicans Defy Court Order and Ordain New Bishop… Chad
Gandiya was ordained as bishop of the Archdiocese of Harare on July
26 before a crowd of 4 to 5,000 people that included senior church
HARARE 00000630 002 OF 003
officials from the U.S., UK, and the regional body, the Church of
the Province of Central Africa (CPCA). Two days earlier, the
excommunicated ZANU-PF-aligned, ex-bishop Norbert Kunonga won a
court settlement granting contested church property to his small
splinter faction; the magistrate also ruled that Kunonga was
improperly deposed and decreed that the Church could not ordain a
new bishop. The CPCA is appealing the ruling.
¶7. Tribal Chief Evicted for KP Involvement… The family of the
tribal chief in Chiadzwa who led members of the Kimberley Process
team to illegal mining sites was forcibly evicted from its rural
home on Monday. A team of police and soldiers arrived at the rural
home and ransacked it, declaring that Chief Chiadzwa needed to leave
because he told his villagers to refuse to move and for taking the
KP team members to unauthorized areas. His family fled before
soldiers arrived. No one was injured.
¶8. MDC to Fill Ambassadorial Slots… The MDC-T has negotiated the
right to fill ambassadorial vacancies in Australia, Germany, Nigeria
and Sudan, while the MDC-M will fill the position of ambassador to
Senegal. The appointments will set to rest one of the handful of
outstanding issues arising from the incomplete and contested
implementation of last year’s Global Political Agreement.
———————————–
On the Economic and Business Front
———————————-
¶9. Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Liberalizes Currency and Export
Controls Further… In a mid-year monetary policy statement
presented to bank chief executives on July 30, 2009, the RBZ
re-introduced currency exchange houses that were suspended during
the height of foreign currency trading irregularities. The public
can now buy and sell foreign exchange in these institutions using
international rates. Separately, the reporting threshold for
documenting exports with the RBZ was raised from US$1,000 to
US$5,000 to encourage small-scale producers to expand exports by
reducing bureaucratic hurdles.
¶10. Zimbabwean Businesses Form Council… Zimbabwean business
associations completed the formation of a business council by
signing the constitution of the new body on July 29, 2009.
According to the current president of the Council, Kumbirai
Katsande, the organization will hold an inaugural meeting in Nyanga
in October 2009 to discuss issues affecting the business sector and
to identify common positions it can take to government.
¶11. Government Urged to Set Up a Revolving Fund… The President
of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) has urged
government to set up a revolving fund to enable industry to raise
the capital required to increase capacity utilization to the 60
percent targeted for year’s end. The industrial body bemoaned the
lack of credit availability due to the low liquidity of domestic
financial markets. The CZI also highlighted short repayment
periods, power cuts and raw material shortages as constraints on
Qperiods, power cuts and raw material shortages as constraints on
industry.
¶12. Inflation Down, But Downside Risks Remain… Although the RBZ
applauded the gains achieved in killing hyperinflation through
dollarization, it warned that profiteering by traders, poor
preparation for the 2009/10 agricultural season, intermittent power
supply and high utility rates threatened to reverse gains.
—————–
Quote of the Week
—————–
¶13. “Violence is the language of the intellectually defeated. I am
undeterred.” – Finance Minister Tendai Biti after receiving a bullet
HARARE 00000630 003 OF 003
and note threatening his life.
DHANANI
(66 VIEWS)
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