War veterans leader Joseph Chinotimba failed to disrupt an all-stakeholders meeting to map the way forward for the country when police were called in to control the disturbance caused by ZANU-PF youths.
Chinotimba was being assisted by Youth Minister Saviour Kasukuwere and President Robert Mugabe’s nephew Patrick Zhuwao who led a group of youths in singing, dancing and chanting political slogans.
The group also threw objects at the Speaker of Parliament and Movement for Democratic Change chairman Lovemore Moyo.
Police were called in and ejected all the participants from the Harare International Conference Centre.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 09HARARE588, DESPITE ROCKY START, CONSTITUTIONAL PROCESS
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Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO8041
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0588/01 1961417
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 151417Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4723
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2949
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 3066
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 1495
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2329
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 2696
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 3114
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 5557
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2244
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000588
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR B. WALCH
DRL FOR N. WILETT
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR J. HARMON AND L. DOBBINS
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR MICHELLE GAVIN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/15/2019
SUBJECT: DESPITE ROCKY START, CONSTITUTIONAL PROCESS
MARCHES ON
Classified By: CDA Katherine Dhanani for reason 1.4 (b) and (d)
——-
SUMMARY
——-
¶1. (SBU) The two-day All Stakeholder’s Conference concluded
successfully on July 14 after getting off to a rocky start
July 13 when riot police were called in to assert control
following a disturbance caused by ZANU-PF activists. While
much remains to be done, the constitutional process is still
on track. The Conference may have been salvaged by a warning
issued by Prime Minister Tsvangirai to President Mugabe that
the MDC would consider pulling out of the inclusive
government if ZANU-PF sabotaged the path towards a new
Constitution. END SUMMARY.
——————————————–
ZANU-PF Led Disruption Threatens Conference(
——————————————–
¶2. (SBU) The two-day All Stakeholder’s Conference (ASC) was
threatened on July 13 when riot police were called in to
assert control following a large disturbance caused by
ZANU-PF youth groups. According to several eye witnesses
including pol specialist, the chaos was likely orchestrated
by a trio of ZANU-PF officials consisting of Youth Minister
Saviour Kasukuwere, President Mugabe’s nephew and ZANU-PF MP
Patrick Zhuwao, and war veteran leader Joseph Chinotimba, who
led youth groups in sining, dancing and chanting political
slogans. They then threw objects at House Speaker Lovemore
Moyo (MDC-T) during his welcoming remarks. As the situation
grew increasingly violent, police were called in and ejected
all the participants from the Harare International Conference
Center.
——————————————-
(But Mugabe and Tsvangirai Rein in Disorder
——————————————-
¶3. (SBU) According to Gorden Moyo, the Minister of State in
the PM’s Office, PM Morgan Tsvangirai met with President
Mugabe following the dramatic events of July 13 and made it
clear that if ZANU-PF sabotaged the constitutional process,
the MDC-T would be forced to consider pulling out of the
inclusive government. According to Moyo, this resulted in
Mugabe’s condemnation of the disturbance during a subsequent
joint press conference with Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime
Minister Arthur Mutambara. Mugabe admonished, “We are here
to say that we will not brook any further disturbances in the
future. We must have this constitution done, it’s a
necessity. We feel disturbed and we have a sense of
abhorrence with what happened this morning. What happened is
not in accordance with the letter and spirit of the global
political agreement.”
¶4. (SBU) On July 14, security was substantially tighter, and
only accredited delegates were allowed into the venue;
numerous unaccredited people had been granted entry on July
13 because the registration process had become bogged down.
When the substantive meeting finally began, two prominent
academics, Professors Phinias Makhurane and Hope Sadza,
Qacademics, Professors Phinias Makhurane and Hope Sadza,
co-chaired the event. They gave presentations on the
objectives of the conference, the process leading to the
First ASC and the Second ASC to be held in mid-February.
Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Eric
Matinenga laid out government’s role in constitution making.
¶5. (SBU) Twelve thematic areas were identified to be the
HARARE 00000588 002 OF 002
topical basis of outreach efforts during the coming
four-month consultative phase. They are: Founding Principles
of the Constitution; Arms of the State (principle of the
separation of powers); Systems of Governance; Bill of Rights;
Women and Youth; Land, Natural Resources and Empowerment;
Labor; Elections, Transitional Mechanisms and Independent
Commissions; Executive Organs of the State (security forces,
Public Service Commission, prisons); Public Finance;
Traditional Institutions and Customs; and Religion.
Different speakers discussed the key issues that each of the
thematic issues would address. The Herald reported on July
15 that Media, War Veterans, Languages and the Disabled were
added subsequently, bringing the total number of thematic
areas to sixteen. During the next several weeks, the
Parliamentary Select Committee on the Constitution will
propose the adoption of the thematic areas, assign members to
thematic sub-committees and determine a process of public
consultation.
¶6. (SBU) The ASC invited 4,000 delegates, but we are unable
to confirm the actual number of attendees. Several civil
society organizations, including the National Constitutional
Assembly (NCA), criticized the heavy presence of political
party representatives who accounted for 40 percent of total
invitations. Other organizations, including Zimbabwe Lawyers
for Human Rights (ZLHR), criticized the general lack of
organization. ZLHR was never sent their invitations, but
only found them by word of mouth in a stack of civil society
invitations at the parliament building two days before the
conference.
¶7. (U) Subsequent to the Conference, Lovemore Matombo and
Wellington Chibhebhe of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade
Unions, NCA President Lovemore Madhuku, and Zimbabwe National
Student Union President Clever Bere, all of whose
organizations boycotted the Conference, held a press
conference and announced their own “Constitutional
Convention” to be held on July 27. They hope 3,500 delegates
will attend the “people driven” convention.
¶8. (SBU) Not surprisingly, the State-controlled television
news broadcaster, following the first day’s events, blamed
the disruption on the MDC, students, labor and other civic
activists. The next day, however, The Herald, while not
attributing blame for the disturbance, reported on the press
conference, including Mugabe’s remarks.
——-
COMMENT
——-
¶9. (C) The disturbance demonstrates that there are ZANU-PF
elements that are eager to scuttle a new Constitution even
before a first draft is produced. Eric Matinenga, the
Minister of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs who is
coordinating the constitutional process for Cabinet, told us
that its future depends in large part on the sincerity and
engagement of Mugabe. In his press conference, Mugabe
appeared genuinely angered by the disturbance, perhaps
Qappeared genuinely angered by the disturbance, perhaps
influenced by what he viewed as a national embarrassment and
personal slight. However, his repeated statements asserting
that the content of the new constitution has already been
agreed (reftel) does not suggest that he values a process
designed to elicit the views of the Zimbabwean people. END
COMMENT.
DHANANI
(18 VIEWS)
