Dabengwa biggest loser in Bulawayo violence

Former Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front politburo member Dumiso Dabengwa, now leader of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union, was the biggest loser from the violence that erupted in Bulawayo in November 2001 and saw the offices of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change being razed in a fire and his colleague Sikhanyiso Ndlovu’s college being gutted by fire.

The director of Zimrights in Bulawayo Tamsanqa Mlilo told United States public affairs officer Bruce Wharton that Dabengwa who was regarded heir apparent to ZAPU leader Joshua Nkomo was expected to defend Matabeleland’s interests but his leadership of the violent attacks which was in essence a ZANU-PF assault on Bulawayo had lost him any respect that the people in the city may have had for him.

Dabengwa, ZANU-PF political commissar Sikhanyiso Ndlovu and war veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda were said to have incited party supporters to start the violence which was said to be in retaliation of ZANU-PF’s loss of the Bulawayo mayoral elections which were won by the MDC.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 01HARARE3550, BULAWAYO AFTER NOVEMBER 16 – A CHANGED CITY

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

270708Z Nov 01

CONFIDENTIAL     PTO1979

PAGE 01       HARARE 03550 271142Z

ACTION AF-00

INFO LOG-00   NP-00   ACQ-00   CIAE-00 DODE-00 WHA-00   DS-00

EAP-00   EUR-00   VC-00   TEDE-00 INR-00   VCE-00   NSAE-00

USIE-00 EPAE-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02   NFAT-00 SAS-00    /002W

——————43947A 271142Z /40

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0381

INFO NSCWASHDC PRIORITY

SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMNT COMMUNITY

AMEMBASSY NAIROBI

AMEMBASSY OSLO

AMEMBASSY STOCKHOL

AMEMBASSY CANBERRA

AMMBASSY OTTAWA 0084

AMEMBASSY KINGSTON 003

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 003550

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/S, AF, AF/PD, NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA

DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

BRSSELS ALSO FOR USEU

LONDON FOR GURNEY

PARIS FO NEARY

NAROBI FOR PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: DECL. 1/23/11

TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO PHUM ZI

SUBJECT: BULAWAYO AFTER NOVEMBER 16 – A CHANGED CITY

LASSIFIED BY PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER BRUCE WHARTON.

REASON: 1.5 (B) AND (D).

¶1. ( C ) SUMMARY: MBOFF VISITED ZIMBABWE’S SECOND

CITY ON NOVEMBER21 TO GAUGE THE SITUATION IN THE WAKE

OF THE NOVEBER 16 VIOLENCE AND TO MEET WITH AMERICAN

CITIZES TO DISCUSS THEIR SAFETY. ON THE SURFACE, THE

ITY APPEARS TO BE FUNCTIONING NORMALLY, BUT THERE S A

NEW AND WIDESPREAD SENSE OF TENSION AND FEAR THE

CONSENSUS AMONG THE PEOPLE WITH WHOM EMBOFFMET WAS THAT

THE 11/16 VIOLENCE WAS ORGANIZED AN INSTIGATED BY THE

GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE (GOZ) ND THE RULING ZANU-PF

PARTY. CONSENSUS ALSO HEL THAT THE ZIMBABWE REPUBLIC

POLICE (ZRP) KNOWINGY PERMITTED VIOLENT ACTS BY GOZ

SUPPORTERS, AND OLY INTERVENED WHEN OPPOSITION PARTY

SUPPORTERS BGAN TO FIGHT BACK. AMERICAN CITIZENS IN

THE CIT, SOME OF WHO HAVE BEEN IN ZIMBABWE FOR NEARLY

2 YEARS, SAID THAT THE NOVEMBER 16 VIOLENCE IN BULAAYO

CHANGED THE CITY. THEY ALL REMARKED THAT THEVIOLENCE

WAS ANOMALOUS FOR THE NORMALLY LAID-BAC PEOPLC OF

BULAWAYO, AND THAT THEIR OWN SENSE OFSAFETY IN THE CITY

HAD BEEN DEEPLY SHAKEN BY THEEVENTS OF 11/16. TWO

AMCITS WERE IN THE CENTER F TOWN DURING THC VIOLENCE

AND PROVIDED FIRST-HAN ACCOUNTS OF VIOLENCC AND

INTIMIDATION CARRIED OT BY GOZ SUPPORTERS IN FRONT OF

PASSIVE POLICE OFICERS. NO AMERICANS WERE HURT IN THE

VIOLENCE,BUT ONE ENDURED FRIGHTENING, RACIALLY

MOTIVATED ERBAL ABUSE BY MEN ATTEMPTING TO ENTER HER

CAR. ND SUMMARY.

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 03       HARARE 03550 271142Z

¶2. ( C ) THE EMBASSY’S PUBLIC AFFARS OFFICER SPENT

11/21 IN BULAWAYO MEETING WITH WIDE RANGE OF CITY

RESIDENTS. THE PURPOSE OF TE VISIT WAS TO GAIN FIRST-

HAND KNOWLEDGE OF THEVIOLENCE THAT OCCURRED IN THE CITY

ON NOVEMBER 16AND TO ASSESS THE SITUATION IN BULAWAYO

IN TERMSOF THE SAFETY OF AMERICAN CITIZENS RESIDENT IN

TE CITY.

¶3. ( C ) THE TROUBLE ON NOVEMBER 16 BEAN WITH A

“MEETING” HELD IN A CITY PARK ABOUT ON MILE NORTHEAST

OF DOWNTOWN BULAWAYO. A GROUP OFBETWEEN 600 AND 1,000

SO- CALLED “WAR VETS” AND OZ SUPPORTCRS HEARD SPEECHES

FROM ZANU PF OFFICIALS INCLUDING FORMER MINISTER OF HOME

AFFAJRS AND ZANU-PP POLITBURO MEMBER DUMISO DABENGWA,

ACTING ZANU-PF POLITICAL COMMISSAR SIKHANYISO NDLOVU,

AND THE HEAD OF THE ZIMBABWE WAR VETERANS ASSOCIATION IN

MATEBELELAND MR. JABULANI SIBANDA. THE SPEECHES ENDED

AT ABOUT NOON AND THE CROWD, LED BY DABENGWA, NDLOVU AND

SIBANDA, MARCHED INTO DOWNTOWN BULAWAYO. UNIFORMED

POLICE ESCORTED THE CROWD. UPON ARRIVING IN THE

DOWNTOWN AREA, SOME OF THE MARCHERS BEGAN UNPROVOKED

ATTACKS ON OFFICES, PROPERTY AND INDIVIDUALS. ALTHOUGH

THERE WERE CLEARLY A NUMBER OF RACIALLY MOTIVATED

ATTACKS ON PEOPLE OF EUROPEAN ANCESTRY, BLACK

ZIMBABWEANS WERE ALSO ASSAULTED. AN ICE CREAM VENDOR,

PEOPLE SELLING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN A SIDEWALK

MARKET, AND NEWSPAPER VENDORS WERE ATTACKED, BEATEN AND

ROBBED. OFFICES OF ORGANIZATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE

OPPOSITION WERE RANSACKED. OPPOSITION-ORIENTED

NEWSPAPERS WERE BURNED AND SHREDDED. CARS BCLONGING TO

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 04       HARARE 03550 271142Z

WHITES WERE VANDALIZED. THE CROWD MARCHED TO THE

OFFICES OF THE OPPOSITION MDC PARTY AND, USING GASOLINE,

SET THE BUILDING ON FIRE. FORTUNATELY, MDC STAFF HAD

BEN WARNED OF THE APPROACHING MOB AND ESCAPED THE

BUILDING UNHARMED BEFORE IT WAS ATTACKED. THE CROD

BROKE UP INTO SMALLER GROUPS THAT RAGED THROUGHDOWNTOWN

BULAWAYO FOR ANOTHER 30 TO 45 MINUTES

ASSAULTING ANYONE

OR ANYTHING THAT MIGHT BE PERCEIVED AS LESS THAN 100

PERCENT LOYAL TO THE RULING PARTY. THROUGHOUT ALL OF

THESE ACTIVITIES, THE POLICE WERE PASSIVE. AT ABOUT

1330, A GROUP OF MDC SUPPORTERS COALESCED AND ATTEMPTED

TO MARCH TO ZANU-PP HEADQUARTERS. UPON BEING BLOCKED BY

POLICE, THE MDC CROWD WENT TO THE PRIVATE COLLEGE OWNED

BY SIKHANYISO NDLOVU AND SET IT ON FIRE. AT ABOUT 1500

ZANU-PF SUPPORTERS TRIED TO MARCH TO THE HIGH DENSITY

NEIGHBORHOODS ON THE WEST SIDE OF BULAWAYO. MDC

SUPPORTERS MET THE ZANU-PF CROWD AT THE EDGE OF THE

WESTERN SUBURBS AND CHASED THEM AWAY, EFFECTIVELY ENDING

THE DAY’S VIOLENCE.+

¶4. ( C ) MAYOR JAPHET NDABENI-NCUBE, AN MDC ACTIVIST

ELECTED IN SEPTEMBER 2001, RELATED BEING CHASED FROM HIS

OFFICE BY A GROUP OF 8 ZANU-PF SUPPORTERS. THE MAYOR

WAS TIPPED BY JUNIOR STAFF ONLY A FEW MINUTES BEFORE THE

ATTACK AND WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE, BUT HIS OFFICE WAS

RANSACKED AND GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT

CITY HALL AND THE BUILDING’S GROUNDS. THE MAYOR

REPORTED THE INCIDENT, AND THE THEFT OF PERSONAL ITEMS,

TO THE POLICE ON 11/16. AS OF 11/21, NO POLICE HAD COME

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 05       HARARE 03550 271142Z

TO INVESTIGATE. THE MAYOR HAS NO POLICE PROTECTION, BUT

SAID THAT HE WAS WORKING WITH MDC OFFICIALS TO ARRANGE

PERSONAL SECURITY. MAYOR NDABENI-NCUBE SAID THAT THE

VIOLENCE ENDED ON NOV. 16 AFTER MDC SUPPORTERS MOBILIZED

AND RESISTED THE ZANU-PF SUPPORTERS.

¶5. ( C ) THE MAYOR WENT ON TO SAY THAT ZANU-PP WAS

INSTIGATING THE VIOLENCE AND PROMOTING ANTI-WHITE

SENTIMENT. HE EXPECTS VIOLCNCE TO CONTINUE AS ELECTIONS

APPROACH. HE WAS ESPECIALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE

POSSIBILITY THAT ZANU-PP WOULD ABDUCT AND KILL ITS OWN

PEOPLE AND THEN BLAME MDC FOR THE CRIMES. HE

SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED FORMER MINISTCR OF HOME AFFAIRS

DUMISO DABENGWA AS SOME ONE WHO WAS “EXPENDABLE” TO

ZANU-PF.

¶6.   ( C ) BULAWAYO PUBLIC LIBRARY DIRECTOR ROBIN DOUST,

WHO WAS ATTACKED DURING THE VIOLENCE, TOLD EMBOFF HE

BELIEVES MANY OF THE ZANU-PF SUPPORTERS WHO TOOK PART IN

THE VIOLENCE ON NOV 16 WERE BROUGHT INTO THE CITY BY BUS

OR TRAIN. HE SAID THAT A MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE IN

BULAWAYO BELIEVE THE EVENTS OF 11/16 WERE ORCHESTRATED

BY THE GOVERNMENT IN AN ATTEMPT TO PUNISH THE CITY FOR

ITS SUPPORT OF MDC IN THE SEPTEMBER CITY COUNCIL AND

MAYORAL LECTIONS AND TO INTIMIDATE THE CITIZENS AWAY

FROM FURTHER SUPPORT OF THE OPPOSITION. DOUST BELIEVES

THE SITUATION IN BULAWAYO WILL GET WORSE IN THE RUN-UP

TO THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.

¶7. ( C ) TAMSANQA MLILO, DIRECTOR OF THE ZIMRIGHTS

HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION IN BULAWAYO, SAID THAT THE

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 06       HARARE 03550 271142Z

POLICE DELIBERATELY IGNORED THE VIOLENT ACTS OF ZANU-PF

SUPPORTERS ON 11/16. HE ALSO ACCUSED THE GOVERNMENT-

OWNED MEDIA OF DISTORTED COVERAGE OF THE EVENTS SUCH AS

EMPHASIZING MDC SUPPORTERS’ ATTACK ON NDLOVU’S PROPERTY,

BUT COMPLETELY IGNORING ZANU-PP ATTACKS ON THE MAYOR’S

OFFICE. MLILO ALSO BELIEVED THAT ZANU-PP WAS TRYING TO

PROMOTE VIOLENCE AGAINST WHITES AND THAT THE PARTY WAS

LIKELY TO USE MORE VIOLENCE IN THE FUTURE AS IT HAS LOST

MOST POPULAR SUPPORT IN MATEBELELAND. HE SAID THAT THE

BIGGEST LOSER IN THE EVENTS OF 11/16 WAS DUMISO

DABENGWA. DABENGWA, AN ETHNIC NDEBELE, WAS AN ALLY OF

JOSHUA NKOMO AND EXPECTED TO DEFEND MATEBELELAND’S

INTERESTS. HIS LEADERSHIP OF THE EVENTS OF 11/16, IN

ESSENCE A ZANU-PF ASSAULT ON BULAWAYO, ENDED ANY RESPECT

THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY MAY HAVE HAD FOR HIM. MLILO SAID

THAT ZANU-PP WAS TORN BETWEEN WANTING TO STAY IN POWER

AND WANTING LEGITIMACY AND RESPECT. THIS CAUSED THE

PARTY TO “DO TERRIBLE THINGS HALF-HEARTEDLY.”

¶8. ( C ) BUSANI BAFANA, THE BULAWAYO BUREAU CHIEF FOR

THE ZIMBABWE INDEPENDENT, WAS CLEARLY TRAUMATIZED BY THE

EVENTS OF 11/16. AS A RESULT OF THE VIOLENCE AND

THREATS AGAINST HIM, HE IS ACTIVELY CONSIDERING LEAVING

JOURNALISM AND ZIMBABWE. HE ALSO CLAIMED THAT THE

POLICE SIMPLY STOOD AND WATCHED AS ZANU-PP SUPPORTERS

RAN AMOK AND SAID HE HAD LOST ALL FAITH IN THE ZRP.S

COMMITMENT TO NON

-PARTISAN LAW ENFORCEMENT. HE

DESCRIBED VISITING THE POLICE STATION ON THE AFTERNOON

OF 11/16 TO REPORT THE THEFT OF HIS CELLPHONE AND SAID

“IT WAS LIKE GIVING MY ADDRESS TO THE WAR VETS.” BAFANA

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 07       HARARE 03550 271142Z

ALSO REPORTED SEEING POLICE VEHICLES USED TO TRANSPORT

ZANU-PP SUPPORTERS, AND REPEATED THE ASSERTION THAT MANY

OF THE RIOTERS WERE “IMPORTED” FROM OUTSIDE OF BULAWAYO.

HE SAID HE DID NOT BELIEVE THERE WAS ANY ANTI-AMERICAN

SENTIMENT AT PLAY ON 11/16, BUT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE

WAS A GREAT DEAL OF ANTI-WHITE VIOLENCE THAT COULD

EASILY AFFECT SOME AMCITS. BAFANA LIKENED THE

GOVERNMENT-OWNED NEWSPAPERS IN BULAWAYO TO “HATE RADIO”

IN RWANDA. HE SAID THERE WAS “SO MUCH HATRED, YOU CAN

FEEL IT.” BAFANA ANTICIPATES MORE POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN

BULAWAYO IN THE COMING MONTHS.

¶9. ( C ) PAUL DAMASANI, BULAWAYO HEAD OF THE

EVANGELICAL FELLOWSHIP OF ZIMBABWE, SAID THAT THE

VIOLENCE OF 11/16 WAS NO SURPRISE. DAMASANI SAID THAT

EVERYTHING WAS FINE IN BULAWAYO UNTIL THE EARLY NOVEMBER

ABDUCTION AND MURDER OF WAR VETERAN CAIN NKALA.

DAMASANI WAS LESS CATEGORICAL THAN OTHERS ABOUT WHETHER

ZANU-PP SUPPORTERS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE VIOLENCE.

HE RAISED THE POSSIBILITY THAT MDC SUPPORTERS MAY HAVE

BURNED THEIR OWN BUILDING IN ORDER TO DESTROY EVIDENCE

OF THEIR COMPLICITY IN THE NKALA MURDER., A CLAIM ALSO

MADE IN THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED MEDIA. DAMASANI ALSO

DEFENDED ZRP ACTIONS ON NOVEMBER 16, SAYING THAT THEY

WERE UNDERMANNED AND COULD NOT HAVE SEEN SPECIFIC

INCIDENTS OF VIOLENCE. HE ALSO SAID THAT THE VIOLENCE

STOPPED WHEN THE PROVINCIAL LEADER OF ZANU-PP, MR.

NDLOVU, TOLD MARCHERS TO GO HOME. ASKED ABOUT THE

SAFETY OF AMERICAN CITIZENS IN BULAWAYO, DAMASANI SAID

THAT THERE WAS NO ANTI-AMERICAN SENTIMENT IN THE CITY,

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 08       HARARE 03550 271142Z

BUT THAT AMERICANS SHOULD REFRAIN FROM DISCUSSING

POLITICS OR ECONOMICS IN PUBLIC TO AVOID GIVING THE

IMPRESSION THAT THEY WERE CRITICAL OF THE GOVERNMENT.

DAMASANI SAID THAT THERE WAS A STRONG POTENTIAL FOR

FURTHER VIOLENCE AND THAT THE TRIALS OF MDC SUPPORTERS

ACCUSED IN THE NKALA CASE COULD BE THE TRIGGER FOR MORE

VIOLENCE. MAYOR NDABENI-NCUBE TOLD EMBOFF THAT DAMASANI

WAS AN AGENT FOR ZIMBABWE’S CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE

ORGANIZATION.

¶10.   (SBU) ALTHOUGH THEY HAD AGREED TO MEET EMBOFF, THE

EDITORS OF THE TWO STATE-OWNED NEWSPAPERS IN BULAWAYO

WERE EITHER “NOT AVAILABLE” OR NON-COMMUNICATIVE. “IF

YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT WE THINK,” SAID THE EDITOR OF THE

SUNDAY WEEKLY, “READ OUR NEWSPAPERS.”

¶11. (SBU) EMBOFF ALSO MET WITH ASSISTANT INSPECTOR

MACHINGURA AT PROVINCIAL POLICE HEADQUARTERS.

MACHINGURA, WHO IDENTIFIED HIMSELF AS THE PROVINCIAL

INTELLIGENCE COORDINATOR, WAS FRIENDLY AND PLAYED DOWN

THE PROBLEM OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN BULAWAYO. HE SAID

THAT MEDIA REPORTS OF THE VIOLENCE WERE “GREATLY

EXAGGERATED” AND THAT EVERYTHING WAS NOW CALM. HE SAID

HE DID NOT EXPECT ANY MORE VIOLENCE IN THE CITY. WHEN

ASKED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF AMCITS, MACHINGURA SAID THERE

WAS NO DANGER TO AMERICANS IN BULAWAYO, AND SAID THAT HE

AND HIS OFFICE WOULD RESPOND QUICKLY TO ANY PROBLEMS OR

CONCERNS THE EMBASSY HAD ABOUT AMERICANS’ SAFETY.

¶12. ( C ) LAWRENCE CHIKUVIRA, CHIEF OF THE INDEPENDENT

“DAILY NEWS” BUREAU IN BULAWAYO, WAS CATEGORICAL ABOUT

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 09       HARARE 03550 271142Z

GOZ INSTIGATION OF THE VIOLENCE ON 11/16. HE SUPPORTED

THE VIEW THAT SOME OF THE SO-CALLED WAR VETS HAD BEEN

BROUGHT INTO THE CITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE VIOLENCE.

CHIKUVIRA DESCRIBED A SPLIT BETWEEN WAR VETS IN

MATEBELELAND (PRIMARILY FORMER ZIPRA/ZAPU COMBATANTS)

AND WAR VETS IN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY (PRIMARILY

ZANLA/ZANU COMBATANTS). CHIKUVIRA SAID THAT WEAKENING

SUPPORT FOR THE RULING PARTY AMONG WAR VETS IN BULAWAYO

CREATED THE NEED TO BRING IN “TRUE BELIEVERS” FROM

HARARE. CHIKUVIRA ACCUSED THE POLICE OF ALLOWING

VIOLENCE TO TAKE PLACE “UNDER THEIR NOSES,” AND CREDITED

MDC SUPPORTERS’ WILLINGNESS TO FIGHT BACK FOR ENDING THE

VIOLENCE ON 11/16. HE SAID THAT THERE WERE “NO LIMITS

ON THE GOVERNMENT’S SHAME AND WILLINGNESS TO

DO WHATEVER

IS NECESSARY TO REMAIN IN POWER.” CHIKUVIRA BELIEVES

THAT ZANU-PP WILL ONLY INCREASE ITS USE OF VIOLENCE IN

THE COMING MONTHS.

¶13. (C) EMBOFF ALSO MET WITH ABOUT 10 AMERICAN CITIZENS

RESIDENT IN BULAWAYO, MOST OF WHOM ARE MISSIONARIES WITH

NEARLY 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN ZIMBABWE. THE AMCITS

CONFIRMED THE GENERAL SENSE THAT THE RULING PARTY

DELIBERATELY ORGANIZED THE VIOLENCE, THAT WHITES WERE

TARGETED, AND THAT THE SITUATION IS LIKELY TO GET WORSE

AS THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS APPROACH. THE AMCITS WERE

SHOCKED BY THE VIOLENCE, SAYING THAT IT WAS VERY MUCH

OUT OF CHARACTER FOR BULAWAYO. THEY ALL BELIEVED THAT

OUTSIDERS HAD BEEN BROUGHT TO THE CITY TO PROMOTE AND

EXECUTE THE VIOLENCE. TWO AMCITS WITNESSED SOME OF THE

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 10       HARARE 03550 271142Z

VIOLENCE AND CONFIRMED POLICE PASSIVITY AS LONG AS THE

VIOLENCE WAS AGAINST OPPOSITION TARGETS. ONE AMCIT SAID

THAT AFTER 11/16, “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE,” CLEARLY

INDICATING THAT THE SENSE OF SAFETY HE ENJOYED IN

BULAWAYO HAD BEEN SHATTERED. ALL OF THE AMERICANS

INDICATED THAT THEY EITHER HAD PLANS, OR WERE

CONSIDERING OPTIONS, FOR DEPARTURE FROM ZIMBABWE.

¶14. ( C ) COMMENT: BENEATH A FACADE OF NORMALCY,

BULAWAYO IS TRAUMATIZED. PEOPLE SPOKE WITH SHOCK, AND

SOME DEGREE OF EMBARRASSMENT, ABOUT THE EVENTS OF 11/16.

IT IS CLEAR THAT ONLY PEOPLE DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE

GOVERNMENT (CIO, POLICE AND GOVERNMENT-EMPLOYED

JOURNALISTS) BELIEVE WHAT GOZ LEADERS OR MEDIA SAY ABOUT

THE CAIN NKALA CASE OR THE VIOLENCE OF 11/16. WE

BELIEVE THAT THE EVIDENCE POINTS COMPELLINGLY TO

GOVERNMENT AND RULING PARTY SPONSORSHIP AND ORGANIZATION

OF THE VIOLENCE IN BULAWAYO ON NOVEMBER 16. FURTHER, WE

BELIEVE IS CLEAR THAT THE ZRP SIMPLY STOOD AND WATCHED

AS PEOPLE AND INSTITUTIONS PERCEIVED TO SUPPORT THE

OPPOSITION WERE ATTACKED. THE POLICE ONLY BEGAN TO ACT

WHEN MDC SUPPORTERS RESPONDED TO THE VIOLENCE INSTIGATED

BY THE RULING PARTY. WHILE WE DO NOT BELIEVE THAT

AMERICAN CITIZENS ARE TARGETS OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE,

WHITE AMERICANS COULD EASILY BECOME VICTIMIZED BY THE

ANTI-WHITE SENTIMENT BEING PROMOTED BY THE GOZ. WE TAKE

SERIOUSLY THE CONSENSUS THAT MORE VIOLENCE IS LIKELY AND

THE GOVERNMENT/RULING PARTY WILL TAKE ANY STEPS

NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN POWER. PINALLY, THE POSSIBILITY

OF ZANU-PP ABDUCTING OR KILLING ONE OF ITS OWN

SUPPORTERS IN ORDER TO BLAME THE MDC FOR “TERRORISM”

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 11       HARARE 03550 271142Z

CANNOT BE DISMISSED. END COMMENT.

SULLIVAN

CONFIDENTIAL

>

(60 VIEWS)