Daily News warns people cannot stand by if ZANU-PF steals the election

All the people, including the rural folk, were not going to stand idly by if the Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front tried to steal the 2002 presidential elections.

This was the warning from the Daily News a day before the election results were announced.

The paper said ZANU-PF had tried to curry favour with the rural folk for years by publicly demeaning the urban dweller, going to the extent of accusing them of having contributed far less to the liberation struggle than the rural folk.

Because of this perceived rural base, President Robert Mugabe was already considered home and dry but, the paper said, it would be disturbing if the rural folk felt they owed Mugabe the vote because of the land reform programme.

“We we doubt that they could be so simple minded,” the paper said.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 02HARARE666, MEDIA REACTION ZIM PRESIDENTIAL POLL; HARARE

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

140556Z Mar 02

UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ2051

PAGE 01       HARARE 00666 01 OF 02 140606Z

ACTION INR-00

INFO LOG-00   NP-00   AF-00   A-00     ACQ-00   CIAE-00 DODE-00

DS-00   EUR-00   UTED-00 VC-00   TEDE-00 LAB-01   VCE-00

NSAE-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 EPAE-00 IIP-00   DSCC-00 DRL-02

NFAT-00 SAS-00     /003W

——————74456B 140606Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1201

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE

AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000666

SIPDIS

AF/PD FOR COX AND ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT AND

SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI

FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ZIM PRESIDENTIAL POLL; HARARE

¶1.   WITH VOTE COUNTING UNDER WAY IN ZIMBABWE,

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02       HARARE 00666 01 OF 02 140606Z

EDITORIALS PUBLISHED IN THE MARCH 12 EDITIONS OF THE

THREE DAILIES IN THE COUNTRY DISCUSS CONCEIVABLE END

RESULTS OF THE JUST ENDED PRESIDENTIAL POLL. EXCERPTS:

¶2.   UNDER HEADLINE “WHITES’ ACTIONS DESPICABLE,” THE

GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY “THE HERALD” (03/12)

COMMENTS:

“WHITE PEOPLE IN ZIMBABWE WENT FOR BROKE DURING THE

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AS THEY PUSHED FOR AN

UNLIKELY MDC VICTORY. . . THE SAME RACISTS WHO

HAVE ALWAYS SEEN BLACKS AS SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS

WERE DURING THE ELECTION TRYING HARD TO JOIN HANDS

WITH BLACKS, SOMETHING THEY HAVE RESISTED FOR A

LONG TIME. WHAT HAS CHANGED SO DRAMATICALLY TO SEE

WHITE PEOPLE NOT ONLY STANDING IN LONG QUEUES TO

VOTE BUT TRYING TO COERCE OTHER PEOPLE INTO VOTING

FOR THE OPPOSITION MDC? THE ANSWER IS ALL TOO

OBVIOUS. THEY ARE ONLY PARTICIPATING IN NATIONAL

POLITICS TO PROTECT THEIR INTERESTS. THEY WANT TO

HANG ON TO THE VAST FARMS WHILE BLACKS REMAIN

CRAMMED ON SMALL PIECES OF FRAGILE LAND. . . THE

WATERSHED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PROVIDED

ZIMBABWEANS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE A LEADER

WHO WILL GUARANTEE THAT THEY WILL RECLAIM THEIR

BIRTHRIGHT. PRESIDENT MUGABE THROUGHOUT HIS

CAMPAIGN PERIOD TOLD THE PEOPLE THAT LAND WILL BE

EQUITABLY REDISTRIBUTED FOR ZIMBABWE’S INDEPENDENCE

TO BE COMPLETE. THE MDC, FUNDED BY WHITES AND

WESTERN BACKERS, ON THE OTHER HAND WANTS TO RETURN

ACQUIRED LAND TO WHITE PEOPLE, HENCE THE

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03       HARARE 00666 01 OF 02 140606Z

DETERMINATION BY WHITE PEOPLE TO SEE THAT THEIR

PARTY WINS. THEY ARE IN FOR A MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT

AS THEIR NEFARIOUS ACTIVITIES INFURIATED THE

MAJORITY OF VOTERS. THEIR PUPPET WILL NOT WIN.”

¶3.   UNDER HEADLINE “WIDENING RURAL-URBAN GAP AN EVIL

POLITICAL PLOY,” THE INDEPENDENT DAILY “THE DAILY

NEWS” (03/12) COMMENTS:

“. . .ZANU PF HAS TRIED FOR MANY YEARS TO CURRY

FAVOR WITH THE RURAL FOLK BY PUBLICLY DEMEANING THE

URBAN DWELLER, GOING TO THE EXTENT OF ACCUSING THEM

OF HAVING CONTRIBUTED FAR LESS TO THE LIBERATION

STRUGGLE THAN THE RURAL FOLK. THEIR OPPORTUNITY TO

ACHIEVE THIS CAME WITH THE CHAOTIC LAND REFORM

PROGRAM WITH WHICH THE PARTY SEEMS DETERMINED TO

TURN THE COUNTRY INTO ONE VAST VILLAGE. FOR THAT,

ZANU PF EXPECTS THE RURAL FOLK TO REWARD IT WITH A

RESOUNDING VOTE FOR ITS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE,

ROBERT MUGABE. BY THE DUBIOUS CALCULATIONS OF THE

PARTY POLLSTERS, MUGABE WILL WIN BECAUSE THERE ARE

MORE REGISTERED VOTERS IN THE RURAL AREAS THAN IN

THE URBAN AREAS. THE THEORY IS THAT BECAUSE ZANU

PF HAS ALWAYS CONSIDERED THE RURAL AREAS ITS

BEDROCK OF SUPPORT, MUGABE IS AS GOOD AS HOME AND

DRY. . . IT WOULD BE VERY DISTURBING IF THE RURAL

FOLK FELT THEY OWED MUGABE THE VOTE BECAUSE OF THE

LAND REFORM PROGRAM. WE DOUBT THAT THEY COULD BE

SO SIMPLE MINDED. . . ZANU PF’S ALMOST EVIL DESIGN

IS TO DIVIDE THE PEOPLE ALONG THEIR SOCIAL STATUS,

TO HAVE THE RURAL FOLK DESPISE THEIR URBAN COUSINS

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PAGE 04       HARARE 00666 01 OF 02 140606Z

AS PUPPETS OF TONY BLAIR, THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS,

THE TRADE UNIONS AND THE MDC. YET THE TRUTH, WHICH

WE KNOW THE RURAL FOLK ARE AWARE OF, IS THAT ZANU

PF HAS FAILED TO DEVELOP THIS COUNTRY, INCLUDING

THE RURAL AREAS, TO ITS FULL POTENTIAL. NOW IT IS

USING MURDER, RAPE AND VIOLENCE TO INTIMIDATE THE

PEOPLE INTO VOTING FOR IT. AS ONE, THE PEOPLE ARE

BOUND TO REJECT THIS PARTY OF VIOLENCE AND LIES.

IF ZANU PF ATTEMPTS TO STEAL THE ELECTION, ALL THE

PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE RURAL FOLK, CANNOT POSSIBLY

STAND IDLY BY.”

¶4.   UNDER HEADLINE “THE EU MUST NOT CHOOSE LEADERS FOR

US,” THE BULAWAYO-BASED GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY

“CHRONICLE” (03/12) COMMENTS:

“AS THE NATION ANXIOUSLY WAITS FOR THE RESULTS OF

THE ‘WATERSHED’ PRESIDENTIAL POLLS, THE EUROPEAN

UNION (EU) HAS DEMONSTRATED WHY IT IS NOW BEING

REFERRED TO AS THE ‘ERRING UNION’ BY TELLING THE

WORLD WHO THEY WANT TO WIN THE ELECTIONS. TO THE

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ2052

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ACTION INR-00

INFO LOG-00   NP-00   AF-00   A-00     ACQ-00   CIAE-00 DODE-00

DS-00   EUR-00   UTED-00 VC-00   TEDE-00 LAB-01   VCE-00

NSAE-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 IIP-00   DSCC-00 DRL-02   NFAT-00

SAS-00     /003W

——————74456F 140607Z /38

P 140556Z MAR 02

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1202

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE

AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 000666

SIPDIS

AF/PD FOR COX AND ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT AND

SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI

FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ZIM PRESIDENTIAL POLL; HARARE

BLUNDERING EU, THE POLL WILL NOT BE FREE AND FAIR

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02       HARARE 00666 02 OF 02 140606Z

IF WON BY ANYBODY WHO IS NOT THEIR FAVORED

CANDIDATE. . . IF THAT ‘WINNER’ DOES NOT TURN OUT

TO BE ANYONE THEY HAVE IN MIND, THEN THEY WILL

IMPLEMENT COMPREHENSIVE SANCTIONS AGAINST ZIMBABWE.

. . BY IMPOSING SANCTIONS, THE EU IS TELLING

ZIMBABWEANS THAT THEY DO NOT WANT ANYTHING TO DO

WITH US. . . IF THEIR (EU’S) INTENTIONS WERE NOBLE

AND ABOVE BOARD, THE ERRING UNION SHOULD HAVE

WAITED FOR THE RESULTS OF THE 9 AND 10 MARCH POLLS

AND THEN MAKE WHATEVER ‘RESOLUTIONS’ BASED ON THE

RESULTS AND REPORTS FROM THE VARIOUS REGIONAL AND

INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS. WAITING HAS NEVER BEEN

THE WHITE MAN’S FAVORITE GAME. THEY JUST HAVE TO

PILE ‘PRESSURE’ AND GRAB EVERYTHING NO MATTER WHAT.

BY COMING WITH THESE ‘THREATS’ BEFORE ANYTHING HAS

AN INKLING OF THE RESULTS, THEY ARE TELLING US THAT

IT’S THE EU THAT WANTS PRESIDENT MUGABE OUT AND NOT

THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE. . . IN FACT THE EU AND

THEIR COUSINS IN THE UNITED STATES, HAVE BEEN

TRYING TO TELL THE VOTING PUBLIC NOT TO VOTE FOR A

LEADER OF THEIR CHOICE. THEY WANTED THE PEOPLE OF

ZIMBABWE TO GO FOR THEIR PUPPET. . . IN THEIR

DEMENTED MINDS, ELECTIONS CAN ONLY BE ‘FREE AND

FAIR’ WHEN THEIR FAVORITE CANDIDATE WINS THEM.

THEY TRIED IT IN ZAMBIA BUT FAILED DISMALLY.

INDICATIONS ARE THAT THEY HAVE FAILED IN ZIMBABWE.

. . WE WANT TO MAKE IT QUITE CLEAR THAT WHOEVER

THE PEOPLE VOTED FOR WILL BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT FOR

SIX YEARS, NEVER MIND WHAT THE EU AND THE COWBOYS

AT WHITE HOUSE SAY. . . .”

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03       HARARE 00666 02 OF 02 140606Z

SULLIVAN

UNCLASSIFIED

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