Gumbo says the government is there to govern

Rugare Gumbo, who was deputy Minister of Home Affairs at the time, said the government was there to govern and had been given the mandate to do so by the people.

He was responding to concerns by the United States embassy about the use of excessive force during a recent unrest in which two of the embassy employees were affected, one being severely beaten.

Gumbo said the government had merely exercised its responsibility to protect life and property, and it would not take chances when there were “criminal tendencies” in a society beset by economic hardship.

He said the army was brought in to assist the police because they were overstretched and could not handle the situation alone.

The embassy said Gumbo’s somewhat accusatory manner was not altogether surprising given his reputation for ruthlessness.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 00HARARE5943, CHARGE REGISTERS U.S. CONCERN OVER ZIMBABWE

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201201Z Oct 00

CONFIDENTIAL     PTO5744

PAGE 01       HARARE 05943 201157Z

ACTION AF-00

INFO LOG-00   NP-00   AID-00   AMAD-00 ACQ-00   CIAE-00 INL-00

DINT-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00   EB-00   EUR-00

FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00   H-01     TEDE-00 INR-00   IO-00

LAB-01   L-00     VCE-00   AC-01   DCP-01   NSAE-00 OIC-02

OMB-01   OPIC-01 PA-00   PM-00   PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00

SP-00   SSO-00   STR-00   TRSE-00 USIE-00 PMB-00   DSCC-00

PRM-01   DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00 SAS-00     /011W

——————94873D 201158Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7418

INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE

SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 005943

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/20/10

TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL PINR ZI

SUBJECT: CHARGE REGISTERS U.S. CONCERN OVER ZIMBABWE

UNREST TO DEPUTY HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER

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PAGE 02       HARARE 05943 201157Z

REFS: A) HARARE 5925, B) HARARE 5902, C) HARARE 5871

CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D’AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING.

REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D).

¶1. (C) ON OCTOBER 20, CHARGE MET DEPUTY HOME AFFAIRS

MINISTER RUGARE GUMBO, IN THE ABSENCE OF MINISTER JOHN

NKOMO, TO REGISTER U.S. CONCERN OVER THIS WEEK’S UNREST

AND THE GOZ’S RESPONSE. CHARGE MADE THE POINTS THAT WE

BELIEVE THE ZIMBABWE REPUBLIC POLICE (ZRP) RESPONDED

WITH EXCESSIVE FORCE, AND THAT TWO OF OUR FSN EMPLOYEES

WERE DIRECTLY AFFECTED, INCLUDING ONE BEING SEVERELY

BEATEN. ALTHOUGH WE ACCEPT THAT THE GOZ HAS THE

RESPONSIBILITY TO MAINTAIN LAW AND ORDER,

INDISCRIMINATE, DOOR-TO-DOOR BEATINGS HAVE NO PLACE IN A

MULTIPARTY DEMOCRACY.

¶2. (C) GUMBO RESPONDED THAT HE WILL CONVEY OUR CONCERN

TO HIS SUPERIORS. HE SAID THAT HE APPRECIATES THE

DIFFICULTY THE USG MUST HAVE IN ASSESSING THE SITUATION

FROM SO FAR AWAY. THE GOZ IS HERE TO GOVERN, AND HAS

BEEN GIVEN A MANDATE FROM THE PEOPLE TO DO SO. THE GOZ

HAS EXERCISED ITS RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT LIFE AND

PROPERTY, AND IT WILL NOT TAKE CHANCES WHEN THERE ARE

“CRIMINAL TENDENCIES” IN A SOCIETY BESET BY ECONOMIC

HARDSHIP, GUMBO EXPLAINED. THE ARMY WAS BROUGHT IN TO

ASSIST THE POLICE BECAUSE THEY WERE OVERSTRETCHED AND

COULD NOT HANDLE THE SITUATION ALONE. GUMBO ACTED

DISAPPOINTED THAT WE DID NOT COMMEND THE GOZ ON

PREVENTING THE LOSS OF LIFE WHEN IT IS SUCH A PROBLEM IN

OTHER AREAS LIKE NIGERIA. THE DEPUTY MINISTER CLAIMED

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PAGE 03       HARARE 05943 201157Z

TO HAVE EVIDENCE THAT THE MDC ENGINEERED THE UNREST TO

TRY TO FORCE MUGABE FROM POWER. “HOW CAN WE BELIEVE

THAT THEIR DEMOCRATIC INTENTIONS ARE GENUINE WHEN THEIR

LEADER ESPOUSES VIOLENCE?” HE ASKED. GUMBO ALSO ACTED

HURT THAT THE USG WOULD ATTEMPT TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON

ZIMBABWE THROUGH THE ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY ACT. “HOW DO

YOU THINK WE FEEL WHEN THE USG DOES THIS WHILE FUNDING

THE OPPOSITION?” WE BELIEVE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

AND WE WANT TO RECOGNIZE HUMAN RIGHTS, BUT THE USG MAKES

IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO DO SO, GUMBO PROFESSED.

¶3. (C) THE CHARGE REPLIED THAT THE ZDA IS DEAD AND THAT

IT IS SOMETHING TO PUT BEHIND US. IN TERMS OF THE ARMY

INVOLVEMENT IN QUELLING THE UNREST, WE WORRY THAT IT

COULD BE A HARBINGER OF MORE UNREST OR MARTIAL LAW.

GUMBO ASSURED THE CHARGE THAT THE SITUATION IS STABLE,

DESPITE THE MDC’S ATTEMPTS TO MAKE IT WORSE. THE DEPUTY

MINISTER SAID THE MDC WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR DISTURBANCES

BREAKING OUT EARLIER THIS WEEK IN THE RATCLIFFE TOWNSHIP

OF KWEKWE, SOME 200 KM DISTANT FROM HARARE. (COMMENT:

WE HAVE SEEN NO OTHER CREDIBLE REPORTS OF UNREST IN

URBAN CENTERS OUTSIDE HARARE. END COMMENT.) IN ANY

CASE, “THE MDC HAS LEARNED ITS LESSON,” GUMBO CONTINUED.

HE TAKES OUR CONCERNS FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR EMPLOYEES

SERIOUSLY AND WILL NOTIFY US IF THERE ARE ANY SIGNS OF

NEW TROUBLE. GUMBO EVEN OFFERED TO INVESTIGATE THE

INCIDENTS WHERE OUR FSN AND ANOTHER’S FAMILY WERE BEATEN

BY THE POLICE (REFS B AND C). HE SAID HIS MINISTRY HAS

NOT YET FULLY INVESTIGATED THE REPORTS OF POLICE

VIOLENCE, BUT IT WILL CONDUCT A POST MORTEM ON THE

EVENTS OF THIS WEEK.

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PAGE 04       HARARE 05943 201157Z

¶4. (C) COMMENT: GUMBO’S SOMEWHAT ACCUSATORY MANNER IS

NOT ALTOGETHER SUPRISING GIVEN HIS REPUTATION FOR

RUTHLESSNESS. HIS MBERENGWA EAST DISTRICT SAW SOME OF

THE WORST POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION PRIOR TO

THIS YEAR’S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS. NONETHELESS, THE

DEPUTY MINISTER APPEARED TO TAKE OUR CONCERNS ON BOARD

AND WILL UNDOUBTEDLY REPORT THEM TO MINISTER NKOMO. HIS

STEADFAST BELIEF THAT THE MDC WAS BEHIND THE UNREST IS

WORRISOME AND COULD INDICATE THAT HE HAD A HAND IN

ORDERING THE DOOR-TO-DOOR BEATINGS. IT COULD ALSO

PRESAGE A MORE INTENSE CRACKDOWN ON THE MDC SHOULD THE

OPPOSITION RESORT TO MASS ACTION. END COMMENT.

IRVING

CONFIDENTIAL

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