Police evicted hundreds of war veterans from four farms near Harare prompting the veterans to march on the streets of the capital demonstrating against the government’s action.
The Commercial Farmers Union was so encouraged by the move that it withdrew its court action against President Robert Mugabe in order to preserve a line of dialogue with the government.
The United States embassy even commented that the “normally vitriolic” Information Minister Jonathan Moyo issued a relatively mild statement of regret for the police action, criticising the police methods but not the evictions themselves.
Moyo said the government was going to seek to provide compensation for the squatters whose makeshift homes were destroyed.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 00HARARE4695, WAR VETERANS REACT TO LAND EVICTIONS
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
241454Z Aug 00
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ2712
PAGE 01 HARARE 04695 01 OF 02 241456Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00
DS-00 EB-00 FAAE-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00
L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00
PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SSO-00 TRSE-00
USIE-00 R-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-01 DRL-02 G-00
NFAT-00 SAS-00 SWCI-00 /007W
——————7D97AB 241456Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6925
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 004695
SIPDIS
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/05
SUBJECT: WAR VETERANS REACT TO LAND EVICTIONS
REF: HARARE 4662
CLASSIFIED BY AMB. TOM MCDONALD. REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 HARARE 04695 01 OF 02 241456Z
(D).
SUMMARY
——-
¶1. (C) POLICE HAVE EVICTED WAR VETERANS FROM A NUMBER
OF FARMS THIS WEEK, PROMPTING TWO DEMONSTRATIONS BY THE
VETERANS THROUGH DOWNTOWN HARARE. EVICTIONS WERE
CONTINUING ON AUGUST 24, DESPITE AN UNCONFIRMED PRESS
REPORT THAT THE CABINET HAD CALLED A HALT TO THE POLICE
ACTIONS. THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS UNION WAS ENCOURAGED BY
THE DEVELOPMENTS, BUT RESERVED JUDGMENT ON WHETHER THEY
WOULD CONTINUE. THE CFU WITHDREW ITS COURT ACTION
AGAINST THE PRESIDENT AND OTHERS IN ORDER TO PRESERVE A
CHANNEL OF DIALOGUE WITH THE GOZ, AND IS NOW TRYING TO
FIND FINANCING TO ENABLE FARMERS TO PROCEED WITH THE
PLANTING SEASON, BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 1. WHETHER THE
EVICTIONS CONTINUE WILL INDICATE WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT
IS SERIOUS ABOUT ENDING THE OCCUPATIONS AND RESTORING
THE RULE OF LAW. END SUMMARY.
¶2. (U) AFTER POLICE EVICTED HUNDREDS OF WAR VETERANS
FROM FOUR FARMS NEAR HARARE ON AUGUST 22, WAR VETERANS
TOOK TO THE STREETS IN THE CAPITAL ON AUGUST 23 AND 24
TO PROTEST THE POLICE ACTION. IN ADDITION TO THE
EVICTIONS REPORTED IN REFTEL, POLICE ON AUGUST 22 MOVED
HUNDREDS OF ENCAMPED WAR VETERANS OFF OF FOUR FARMS IN
KAMBUZUMA TOWNSHIP ON HARARE’S OUTSKIRTS AND TORE DOWN
THEIR NEARLY COMPLETED CINDERBLOCK HOMES. OTHER WOODEN
STRUCTURES WERE BURNED. STATE-RUN MEDIA WIDELY
PUBLICIZED THE ACTION, WHICH THEY SAID HAD BEEN ORDERED
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 HARARE 04695 01 OF 02 241456Z
BY HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER JOHN NKOMO. ON AUGUST 23,
ABOUT 200 WAR VETERANS PROTESTED IN FRONT OF NKOMO’S
OFFICE, DENOUNCING HIS ACTION WITH PLACARDS AND CHANTS.
THE PROTESTERS PROCEEDED TO PARLIAMENT AND THE
PRESIDENT’S OFFICE BEFORE DISPERSING.
¶3. (U) ON AUGUST 24, THE NORMALLY VITRIOLIC INFORMATION
MINISTER JONATHAN MOYO ISSUED A RELATIVELY MILD
STATEMENT OF “REGRET” FOR MONDAY’S POLICE ACTION,
CRITICIZING THE POLICE METHODS BUT NOT THE EVICTIONS
THEMSELVES. MOYO FURTHER STATED THAT THE GOVERNMENT
WOULD SEEK TO PROVIDE COMPENSATION FOR THE SQUATTERS
WHOSE MAKESHIFT HOMES WERE DESTROYED. SEVERAL HUNDRED
WAR VETERANS TOOK TO HARARE’S STREETS AGAIN ON AUGUST
24, MOVING DOWN SAMORA MICHEL AVENUE IN FRONT OF THE
BUILDING HOUSING THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE AND THE FOREIGN
MINISTRY. POLOFFS WERE IN THE BUILDING AT THE TIME AND
COULD CLEARLY HEAR THE VETERANS’ SONGS AND CHANTS,
SUGGESTING ZIMBABWE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ARE HEARING
THEM AS WELL.
¶4. (U) THE INDEPENDENT “FINANCIAL GAZETTE” REPORTED
THAT AFTER A CABINET MEETING AUGUST 23, THE GOVERNMENT
DECIDED TO END FURTHER POLICE ACTIONS AGAINST SQUATTERS.
THE GAZETTE SUGGESTED THAT THE MEETING WAS HELD AFTER
WAR VETERANS COMPLAINED TO MUGABE DIRECTLY UPON HIS
AUGUST 22 RETURN FROM MAPUTO AND THAT A NUMBER OF
UNNAMED CABINET MEMBERS WERE UNHAPPY WITH THE POLICE’S
HEAVY-HANDED APPROACH. WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO CONFIRM
THE GAZETTE’S REPORT OF THE CABINET DECISION, AND IN
FACT WERE INFORMED BY THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS UNION (CFU)
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 04 HARARE 04695 01 OF 02 241456Z
THAT SQUATTER EVICTIONS ARE UNDERWAY ON AUGUST 24 ON
FARMS IN MASHONALAND EAST AND MASHONALAND WEST
PROVINCES.
¶5. (C) CFU DIRECTOR DAVID HASLUCK TOLD POLOFF ON AUGUST 23
HE WAS ENCOURAGED BY THE GOVERNMENT’S ACTIONS, BUT
RESERVED JUDGMENT ON WHETHER THE EVICTIONS WOULD
CONTINUE. HE SAID THE GOZ HAD INFORMED THE CFU EARLIER
IN THE WEEK THAT ALL WAR VETERANS WOULD BE REMOVED FROM
OCCUPIED FARMS WITHIN 10 DAYS, SCREENED, AND ASSIGNED TO
FARMS IDENTIFIED FOR COMPULSORY ACQUISITION. NOTING
THAT EARLY SEPTEMBER IS A CRITICAL TIME FOR TOBACCO
PLANTING, HASLUCK SAID THE CFU IS TRYING TO CONVINCE
FARMERS NOT ON THE LIST OF 1,033 ALREADY IDENTIFIED TO
PROCEED WITH PLANTING, AND IS WORKING FRANTICALLY TO
SECURE FINANCING FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT. HASLUCK
INFORMED POLOFF THAT THE CFU HAD WITHDRAWN ITS COURT
ACTION AGAINST PRESIDENT MUGABE, POLICE COMMISSIONER
CHIHURI, AND WAR VETERANS LEADER HUNZVI IN THE HOPE THAT
THIS WOULD ENSURE CONTINUED DIALOGUE WITH THE
GOVERNMENT.
¶6. (C) COMMENT: THE EVENTS OF THE LAST FEW DAYS
INDICATE THAT THE GOZ IS STILL TRYING TO COME TO GRIPS
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ2714
PAGE 01 HARARE 04695 02 OF 02 241456Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00
DS-00 EB-00 FAAE-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00
L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00
PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SSO-00 TRSE-00
USIE-00 R-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-01 DRL-02 G-00
NFAT-00 SAS-00 SWCI-00 /007W
——————7D97B2 241457Z /38
O 241454Z AUG 00
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6926
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 004695
SIPDIS
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/05
SUBJECT: WAR VETERANS REACT TO LAND EVICTIONS
WITH ENDING THE FARM OCCUPATIONS IN A WAY THAT IS
PALATABLE TO THOSE SYMPATHETIC TO THE WAR VETERANS. IT
IS STILL VERY UNCLEAR WHETHER THE GOZ WILL BE SUCCESSFUL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 HARARE 04695 02 OF 02 241456Z
IN THIS EFFORT. THE POLICE ACTIONS AND THEIR WIDESPREAD
COVERAGE IN THE STATE-RUN MEDIA HAVE CROSSED THE LINE
WITH SOME IN GOVERNMENT. MOYO’S MILD STATEMENT AND
OFFER FOR COMPENSATION, AND THE CONTINUING EVICTIONS IN
SOME RURAL AREAS COULD BE A SIGN THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS
NOT ABANDONED THE IDEA OF ENDING THE OCCUPATIONS
ALTOGETHER. WHETHER THE EVICTIONS CONTINUE OR NOT IN
THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND WEEKS WILL INDICATE HOW SERIOUS
THE GOVERNMENT IS ABOUT ENDING THE FARM OCCUPATIONS AND
RESTORING THE RULE OF LAW.
MCDONALD
CONFIDENTIAL
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