How Mugabe stole the 2002 election


0

Movement for Democratic Change polling agents were harassed by youths and war veterans sympathetic to the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front who tampered with ballot boxes to give President Robert Mugabe a wider margin of victory in the 2002 presidential elections.

Mugabe beat MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai by more than 400 000 votes when he polled 1 681 212 votes against Tsvangirai’s 1 262 403 votes.

The poll results are still being disputed today.

The South African weekly newspaper, the Mail and Guardian, which is owned by Zimbabwean publisher Trevor Ncube, went to court to force President Jacob Zuma to release a report on the elections by two South African judges.

It won the case two weeks ago but Zuma has not released the report up to now though he was given 10 days to do so.

The poll rigging was demonstrated by the wide discrepancy between the figures released by the Electoral Supervisory Commission and those announced by the registrar-general Tobaiwa Mudede.

The ESC said a total of 3.17 million people cast their votes in the presidential election. Mudede’s figures added up to only 3.03 million, leaving a discrepancy of 140 000 votes.

Two MDC polling agents Phainos Jasi and Jack Kankuni told United States embassy officials that youths and war veterans had been used to inflate the figures by tampering with ballot boxes.

Topper Whitehead, an activist for the MDC, said that the state of the voters roll left ZANU-PF with “enormous scope for stuffing ballot boxes and multiple voting in areas where we had no polling agents”.

The MDC also claimed that in some cases police officers and central intelligence organisation officials had acted as MDC polling agents.

 

Full cable:

 

Viewing cable 02HARARE713, ZIMBABWE: HOW MUGABE STOLE THE ELECTION;

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Reference ID

Created

Classification

Origin

02HARARE713

2002-03-19 11:49

CONFIDENTIAL

Embassy Harare

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

 

 

 

CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ4871

 

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——————774BB5 191203Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1247

INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE

OAU COLLECTIVE

ALL EUROPEAN UNION POST COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 HARARE 000713

 

SIPDIS

 

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR CHARLES NEARY

NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER

 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/12

TAGS: PGOV PHUM ZI

SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: HOW MUGABE STOLE THE ELECTION;

WIDESPREAD RETRIBUTION UNDERWAY

 

REF: A) HARARE 661, B) HARARE 644

 

CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL OFFICER TODD FAULK FOR REASONS:

1.5 (B) AND (D).

 

1. (C) SUMMARY: A WIDE VARIETY OF REPORTS OVER THE LAST

SEVERAL DAYS INDICATE THAT PRESIDENT MUGABE’S RULING

PARTY ENGAGED IN MASSIVE FRAUD DURING THE MARCH 9-11

PRESIDENTIAL POLL, ENABLING HIM TO CLAIM VICTORY. MANY

OF THE NUMBERS DO NOT ADD UP, AND INFLATED RESULTS IN

THE MASHONALAND PROVINCES AND OTHER AREAS CORRELATE WITH

REPORTS OF POLICE AND ZANU-PF MILITIA DETAINING MDC

POLLING AGENTS. SINCE THE ELECTION, RULING PARTY

MILITIA, WAR VETERANS, AND FARM SQUATTERS HAVE ENGAGED

IN WIDESPREAD RETRIBUTION AGAINST MDC POLLING AGENTS AND

OTHER OPPOSITION SUPPORTERS; AT LEAST FIVE MDC

SUPPORTERS HAVE BEEN KILLED SINCE THE ELECTION RESULTS

WERE ANNOUNCED ON MARCH 13. END SUMMARY.

 

————————

THE NUMBERS DON’T ADD UP

————————

 

2. (C) SERIOUS DOUBTS ABOUT THE LEGITIMACY OF THE

ELECTION RESULTS HAVE ARISEN SINCE REGISTRAR-GENERAL

TOBAIWA MUDEDE ANNOUNCED THEM ON MARCH 13. HIS FIGURES

ARE AT ODDS WITH THOSE RELEASED BY THE ELECTORAL

SUPERVISORY COMMISSION (ESC). ON MARCH 12, THE ESC

RELEASED PROVINCE-BY-PROVINCE FIGURES FOR THE NUMBER OF

VOTES CAST, TOTALING 3.17 MILLION VOTES. ON MARCH 13,

MUDEDE’S FIGURES FOR VALID VOTES, RELEASED ON A

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 03       HARARE 00713 01 OF 04 191203Z

CONSTITUENCY-BY-CONSTITUENCY BASIS, ADD UP TO ONLY 3.03

MILLION, A DIFFERENCE OF 140,000 VOTES. THE NUMBER OF

SPOILED BALLOTS ADDS UP TO ABOUT 48,000. THE QUESTION

BECOMES: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHER 92,000 VOTES

BETWEEN THE TIME THE ESC RELEASED ITS FIGURES AND THE RG

ANNOUNCED ITS RESULTS?

 

3. (C) IN A MARCH 18 “DAILY NEWS” ARTICLE, THE MDC’S

DIRECTOR OF ELECTIONS, PAUL THEMBA-NYATHI, CLAIMED THAT

CONSTITUENCY FIGURES GIVEN TO THE MDC BY THE ESC ARE

STARKLY AT ODDS WITH THE OFFICIAL RESULTS. FOR EXAMPLE,

IN BUBI-UMGUZA DISTRICT IN MATABELELAND NORTH, THE ESC

SAID 46,993 PEOPLE VOTED, BUT THE RG SAID ONLY 29,340

VOTED, A DIFFERENCE OF 17,653. MOREOVER, MUGABE

OBTAINED NEARLY 10,000 MORE VOTES THAN ZANU-PF DID IN

THE 2000 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION, GIVING HIM A

COMFORTABLE LEAD OF 4,500 VOTES OVER TSVANGIRAI. BUBI-

UMGUZA VOTED OVERWHELMINGLY FOR THE MDC IN 2000 (BY A 2-

TO-1 MARGIN). IT IS DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE THAT AN

NDEBELE DISTRICT OF SUCH PRO-MDC SYMPATHIES WOULD MAKE

SUCH AN ABOUT-FACE IN THE FACE OF STARVATION AND GREATER

ECONOMIC HARDSHIP. NEARBY TSHOLOTSHO DISTRICT

EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR REVERSAL OF FORTUNE BY GIVING

MUGABE 700 MORE VOTES THAN TSVANGIRAI.

 

4. (C) THE NUMBERS IN MANY DISTRICTS OF MASHONALAND AND

MASVINGO EQUALLY DEFY BELIEF. IN 24 CONSTITUENCIES IN

MASHONALAND EAST, CENTRAL, WEST AND MASVINGO, ZANU-PF’S

TOTALS INCREASED BY 5,000 TO 10,000 VOTES PER

CONSTITUENCY OVER 2000, WHEREAS THE MDC’S NUMBERS

REMAINED MOSTLY UNCHANGED OR DECLINED. SOME OF THE

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 04      HARARE 00713 01 OF 04 191203Z

INCREASES MAY BE “NATURAL,” DUE TO GREATER NAME

RECOGNITION FOR MUGABE, ZANU-PF VOTER MOBILIZATION

DRIVES, AND MORE MOBILE POLLING STATIONS FOR RESETTLED

FARMERS. IN FACT, GREATER VOTER MOBILIZATION PLAYED A

ROLE IN THE INCREASES OF SEVERAL THOUSAND ZANU-PF VOTES

IN THE BINDURA, CHIKOMBA, AND BIKITA WEST BY-ELECTIONS

LAST YEAR. EACH OF THESE BY-ELECTIONS OCCURRED

INDIVIDUALLY AND ZANU-PF WAS ABLE TO FOCUS ITS RESOURCES

ON THEM. HOWEVER, THIS YEAR, WHEN CHIKOMBA SEES 10,000

MORE ZANU-PF VOTES AND FEWER THAN 250 MORE FOR THE MDC,

FOR EXAMPLE, VOTER MOBILIZATION IS NOT A LIKELY

EXPLANATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN THIS FEAT IS REPEATED IN AT

LEAST 40 OTHER CONSTITUENCIES NATIONWIDE AT THE SAME

TIME. IN REALITY, IT WOULD BE MUCH EASIER TO SWITCH OR

ADD ADDITIONAL BALLOT BOXES THAN TO GET AN ADDITIONAL

200,000 PEOPLE TO THE POLLS. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT

NOWHERE IN THE COUNTRY DID TSVANGIRAI SEE SUCH A WILD

INCREASE IN SUPPORT, EXCEPT IN CHIPINGE SOUTH WHERE THE

ZANU-NDONGA VOTERS THREW THEIR SUPPORT TO TSVANGIRAI

WHEN THEIR PARTY BOWED OUT OF THE RACE.

 

———————————

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE THE ELECTION

———————————

 

CONFIDENTIAL

 

CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ4873

 

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ACE-00   P-00     SP-00   SSO-00   STR-00   TRSE-00 USIE-00

PMB-00   DSCC-00 PRM-00   DRL-02   G-00    NFAT-00 SAS-00

SWCI-00   /010W

——————774BC8 191203Z /38

O 191149Z MAR 02

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1248

INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE

OAU COLLECTIVE

ALL EUROPEAN UNION POST COLLECTIVE

 

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 04 HARARE 000713

 

SIPDIS

 

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR CHARLES NEARY

NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER

 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/12

TAGS: PGOV PHUM ZI

SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: HOW MUGABE STOLE THE ELECTION;

WIDESPREAD RETRIBUTION UNDERWAY

 

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 02       HARARE 00713 02 OF 04 191203Z

5. (C) WHEN INFLATED NUMBERS IN THE MASHONALAND AND

MASVINGO CONSTITUENCIES ARE CORRELATED WITH REPORTS OF

MDC POLLING AGENTS BEING FORCED TO FLEE DURING THE POLL,

IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT ZANU-PF HAD AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO

STUFF THE BALLOT BOXES IN THOSE PROVINCES, AND SOME

DISTRICTS IN OTHER PROVINCES. IT SHOULD BE REMEMBERED

THAT THE RG WAS VERY LATE IN ANNOUNCING THE RESULTS FOR

MASHONALAND CENTRAL, THE PROVINCE WITH THE HIGHEST

NUMBER OF MUGABE VOTES OF ALL (REF A). ON MARCH 15, TWO

MDC POLLING AGENTS, PHAINOS JASI AND JACK KANKUNI

(PROTECT), APPROACHED US TO RELAY WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM

AS THEY OBSERVED THE ELECTION IN MOUNT DARWIN SOUTH AND

MUZARABANI CONSTITUENCIES, RESPECTIVELY (BOTH ARE IN

MASHONALAND CENTRAL). THE POLLING DAYS WENT SMOOTHLY,

BOTH SAID, BUT JUST AS THEY WERE ABOUT TO ACCOMPANY THE

BALLOT BOXES TO THE COUNTING CENTER ON THE MORNING OF

MARCH 11, A TRUCKLOAD OF WAR VETS AND YOUTH MILITIA

ARRIVED. IN MOUNT DARWIN SOUTH, ABOUT 20 YOUTHS CHASED

JASI TO A POLICE STATION, WHERE HE HID FOR SEVERAL HOURS

WHILE THE YOUTHS OUTSIDE DEMANDED “HIS HEAD.” HE NEVER

SAW THE BALLOT BOX AGAIN AND EVENTUALLY ESCAPED TO

HARARE. JASI SAID ALL OF THE 24 OTHER MDC POLLING

AGENTS IN MOUNT DARWIN SOUTH WERE CHASED OFF AS WELL;

ONE OF THEM IS STILL MISSING. MOUNT DARWIN SOUTH SAW AN

INCREASE OF 8,500 VOTES FOR MUGABE AND A DROP OF 800 FOR

TSVANGIRAI.

 

SIPDIS

 

6. (C) IN MUZARABANI, KANKUNI WAS NOT SO LUCKY. WHEN

HE WAS ABOUT TO ACCOMPANY THE BALLOT BOX FROM CHOBOMBO

VILLAGE TO THE COUNTING CENTER IN CENTENARY, A GROUP OF

WAR VETS INTERCEPTED HIM AND TOLD HIM TO GO TO THE

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 03       HARARE 00713 02 OF 04 191203Z

POLICE STATION IN CENTENARY. ABOUT 30 OTHER POLLING

AGENTS WERE SIMILARLY DIVERTED TO THE POLICE. SHORTLY

AFTER THEY ARRIVED, ABOUT 300 YOUTH AND WAR VETS

ATTACKED THEM WITH STONES AND AX HANDLES, KANKUNI SAID

(MUCH OF THE SKIN ON KANKUNI’S FACE HAD BEEN SCRAPED

AWAY BY STONES). THE POLICE REFUSED TO INTERVENE, AND

ALL OF THE POLLING AGENTS FLED INTO THE BUSH. KANKUNI

SPENT A NIGHT IN A LOCAL SHELTER BEFORE MAKING HIS WAY

BACK TO HARARE. MUZURABANI SAW AN INCREASE OF 5,800

VOTES FOR MUGABE AND AN INCREASE OF 250 FOR TSVANGIRAI.

 

7. (C) THE DETENTION OR KIDNAPPING OF MANY OPPOSITION

POLLING AGENTS AND THE REFUSAL TO ACCREDIT MOST DOMESTIC

ELECTION OBSERVERS PREVENTED ADEQUATE COVERAGE OF MANY

RURAL AREAS, ESPECIALLY IN ZANU-PF STRONGHOLDS. AMNESTY

INTERNATIONAL REPORTED ON MARCH 14 THAT A TOTAL OF 1,400

PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED OR DETAINED OVER THE POLLING

WEEKEND; MANY WERE ELECTION OBSERVERS OR POLLING AGENTS.

THE ZIMBABWE REPUBLIC POLICE CLAIMED THAT 570 WERE

ARRESTED IN THE SAME PERIOD FOR VIOLATING THE PUBLIC

ORDER AND SECURITY ACT (ALL BUT TWO OF THEM FROM THE

MDC). LINDSAY CAMPBELL, A COMMERCIAL FARMER AND MDC

ACTIVIST NEAR MARONDERA IN MASHONALAND EAST, TOLD POLOFF

THAT TWO POLLING AGENTS AND FIVE OTHER ELECTION

OFFICIALS WERE DETAINED OR KIDNAPPED IN HER AREA OVER

THE POLLING WEEKEND; FOUR ARE STILL MISSING.

 

8. (U) THE MDC ALSO CLAIMS THAT THE GOVERNMENT LEFT THE

VOTERS ROLL IN A DELIBERATE SHAMBLES TO FACILITATE

ELECTORAL FRAUD. THE MDC COMMISSIONED AN INDEPENDENT

AUDIT OF THE INTERIM VOTERS ROLL THAT MUDEDE PROVIDED

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 04       HARARE 00713 02 OF 04 191203Z

THEM IN JANUARY (THE MDC WAS NEVER PROVIDED THE FINAL

ROLL). THE AUDIT FOUND THAT BETWEEN 30 AND 40 PERCENT

ON THE ROLL HAD MOVED OUT OF THEIR CONSTITUENCY OR DIED.

IN FACT, IN A RANDOM CHECK OF 500 VOTERS WHOSE DEATHS

HAD BEEN REGISTERED SINCE 1980, 80 PERCENT WERE STILL ON

THE VOTERS ROLL. TOPPER WHITEHEAD, AN ACTIVIST FOR THE

MDC, SAID THAT THE STATE OF THE VOTERS ROLL LEFT ZANU-PF

WITH “ENORMOUS SCOPE FOR STUFFING BALLOT BOXES AND

MULTIPLE VOTING IN AREAS WHERE WE HAD NO POLLING

AGENTS.”

 

9. (C) THE MDC CLAIMS THAT MEMBERS OF THE POLICE AND

CIO POSED AS MDC POLLING AGENTS OR OTHER ELECTION

OFFICIALS IN MANY AREAS. WE HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THIS

INDEED OCCURRED. OUR TEAM THAT WAS DETAINED BY THE

CHINHOYI POLICE (REF B) REPORTED BEING QUESTIONED

AGGRESSIVELY BY THREE MEN IN THE POLICE STATION WEARING

ESC VESTS. WHEN ASKED WHY THE ESC REQUIRED THEIR

IDENTIFICATION AND WHAT THE ESC’S ROLE WAS IN A POLICE

MATTER, THE THREE INITIALLY ADMITTED TO BEING POLICE

OFFICERS, BUT LATER DENIED IT. ALSO, WHEN ASKED WHO

THEIR SUPERIORS WERE, THE THREE INDICATED THE COMMANDING

OFFICER OF THE POLICE STATION.

 

10. (C) OTHER REPORTS OF ELECTORAL MALFEASANCE HAVE

 

CONFIDENTIAL

 

CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ4874

 

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SWCI-00   /010W

——————774BD3 191204Z /38

O 191149Z MAR 02

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1249

INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE

OAU COLLECTIVE

ALL EUROPEAN UNION POST COLLECTIVE

 

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 03 OF 04 HARARE 000713

 

SIPDIS

 

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR CHARLES NEARY

NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER

 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/12

TAGS: PGOV PHUM ZI

SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: HOW MUGABE STOLE THE ELECTION;

WIDESPREAD RETRIBUTION UNDERWAY

 

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 02       HARARE 00713 03 OF 04 191204Z

BEEN PILING UP SINCE THE RESULTS WERE ANNOUNCED:

 

— IN BUBI-UMGUZA CONSTITUENCY IN MATABELELAND NORTH,

THE BALLOT BOX FOR THE MOBILE 19 POLLING STATION

CONTAINED 137 VOTES WHEN IT WENT MISSING; WHEN IT TURNED

UP AGAIN, IT HAD MORE THAN 1,000 ADDITIONAL BALLOT

PAPERS IN IT, ACCORDING TO A PRESS REPORT. (BUBI-UMGUZA

VOTED OVERWHELMINGLY FOR MUGABE; SEE PARAGRAPH 3.)

 

— OPPOSITION POLLING AGENTS REPORTEDLY COUNTED ABOUT

12,000 VOTERS OVER TWO DAYS IN TSHOLOTSHO CONSTITUENCY.

HOWEVER, THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL ANNOUNCED THAT 21,000 HAD

CAST BALLOTS. (TSHOLOTSHO WENT TO MUGABE; SEE PARAGRAPH

3.)

 

— SEVERAL FULL BALLOT BOXES WERE REPORTEDLY FOUND AT A

MORTUARY IN CHITUNGWIZA (AN AREA OF OVERWHELMING MDC

STRENGTH) OVER THE MARCH 16 WEEKEND, ACCORDING TO A

LOCAL EMBASSY EMPLOYEE.

 

— SOUTH AFRICAN OBSERVERS CAUGHT A GROUP OF BULAWAYO

WOMEN HANDING OUT MONEY BEFORE THE ELECTION TO ANYONE

PROMISING TO VOTE FOR MUGABE, ACCORDING TO THE “ZIMBABWE

INDEPENDENT.” THE WOMEN WERE SEEN TAKING DOWN THE NAMES

AND ID NUMBERS OF THE RECIPIENTS. SIMILAR OPERATIONS

WERE UNCOVERED IN OTHER PARTS OF BULAWAYO. MUGABE

RECEIVED AN ADDITIONAL 7,500 VOTES, A 25 PERCENT

INCREASE OVER 2000, IN BULAWAYO.

 

— THE CONSTITUENCY REGISTRAR IN MUTARE CENTRAL THREW

OUT THE COUNT OF 155 POSTAL BALLOTS AFTER 25 POSTAL

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 03       HARARE 00713 03 OF 04 191204Z

VOTES DISAPPEARED. THE DECISION CAME ONLY AFTER

INNOCENT GONESE, THE MDC POLLING AGENT, STRENUOUSLY

OBJECTED TO INCLUDING THE POSTAL BALLOTS WHEN THE

DISAPPEARANCE OF SOME COULD NOT BE EXPLAINED.

 

——————————-

WIDESPREAD RETRIBUTION UNDERWAY

——————————-

 

11. (C) WAR VETERANS, ZANU-PF MILITIA, AND FARM

SQUATTERS ARE ENACTING WIDESPREAD RETRIBUTION AGAINST

COMMERCIAL FARMERS, THEIR WORKERS, POLLING AGENTS AND

OTHER MDC SUPPORTERS. SINCE MARCH 13, AT LEAST FIVE

OPPOSITION SUPPORTERS HAVE BEEN KILLED. FRANCES

LOVEMORE, THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE AMANI TRUST, A

WELL-RESPECTED HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION IN ZIMBABWE,

REPORTED TO POLOFF THAT HER OFFICE WAS OVERWHELMED OVER

THE WEEKEND WITH VICTIMS OF TORTURE AND DISPLACEMENT.

AT LEAST 84 FARM WORKERS AND 22 POLLING AGENTS SOUGHT

REFUGE WITH AMANI TRUST OVER THE WEEKEND. LOVEMORE ALSO

REPORTED A LARGE UPSWING IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE BEING

DETAINED BY ZANU-PF MILITIA, WHO APPARENTLY HAVE

REOPENED “RE-EDUCATION” CAMPS FOR WAYWARD MDC MEMBERS.

LOVEMORE STATED THAT AMANI TRUST PLANS TO ASK THE

INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS (ICRC) IN

ZIMBABWE TO SET UP A REFUGEE CAMP; AMANI CAN NO LONGER

COPE WITH THE NUMBER THAT HAVE BEEN DISPLACED.

 

12. (C) BELOW IS A SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE REPORTS OF

RETRIBUTION THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED:

 

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 04       HARARE 00713 03 OF 04 191204Z

— JASI AND KANKUNI (SEE PARAGRAPH 5) REPORTED THAT

ZANU-PF MEMBERS TRACKED THEM DOWN TO THEIR HOMES IN

HARARE AND CAME LOOKING FOR THEM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE

NIGHT ON MARCH 15; THEY BOTH ESCAPED BUT ARE AFRAID TO

RETURN TO THEIR HOMES. JASI REPORTED THAT TWO OTHER MDC

POLLING AGENTS WHO WERE ASSIGNED TO MASHONALAND CENTRAL,

BUT WERE RESIDING IN THE HARARE HIGH-DENSITY SUBURBS OF

MBARE AND DVIVARESKWA, WERE TRACKED DOWN AND STABBED TO

DEATH ON MARCH 14. ALL OTHER MDC POLLING AGENTS WHO

WORKED IN MASHONALAND CENTRAL ARE ALSO BEING HUNTED,

JASI SAID.

 

— LOVEMORE REPORTED MARCH 19 THAT IN UZUMBA-MARAMBA-

PFUNGWE DISTRICT IN MASHONALAND EAST, ZANU-PF MILITIA

ARE ACTIVELY SEEKING TO PUNISH THE 3,000 PEOPLE WHO

VOTED FOR THE MDC.

 

— THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS UNION (CFU) REPORTED THAT

FARMER TERRY FORD WAS BLUDGEONED TO DEATH BY ABOUT 20

WAR VETS AND SETTLERS EARLY ON MARCH 18 ON HIS FARM NEAR

NORTON. THE CFU REPORTED THAT ANOTHER FARM IN THE AREA

WAS LOOTED LAST WEEK.

 

— AN UNIDENTIFIED MAN WAS BEATEN TO DEATH NEAR KWEKWE

LAST WEEK AFTER HE WAS TAKEN TO A ZANU-PF “RE-EDUCATION”

 

CONFIDENTIAL

 

CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ4875

 

PAGE 01       HARARE 00713 04 OF 04 191204Z

ACTION AF-00

 

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INR-00   IO-00   LAB-01   L-00     VCE-00   AC-01   NSAE-00

OIC-02   OMB-01   OPIC-01 PA-00   PC-01   PM-00   PRS-00

ACE-00   P-00     SP-00   SSO-00   STR-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00

PMB-00   DSCC-00 PRM-00   DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00 SAS-00

SWCI-00   /010W

——————774BD9 191204Z /38

O 191149Z MAR 02

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1250

INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE

OAU COLLECTIVE

ALL EUROPEAN UNION POST COLLECTIVE

 

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 04 OF 04 HARARE 000713

 

SIPDIS

 

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR CHARLES NEARY

NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER

 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/12

TAGS: PGOV PHUM ZI

SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: HOW MUGABE STOLE THE ELECTION;

WIDESPREAD RETRIBUTION UNDERWAY

 

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 02       HARARE 00713 04 OF 04 191204Z

CAMP, ACCORDING TO THE AMANI TRUST.

 

— A SECURITY GUARD WORKING FOR FARMER JON RUTHERFORD

NEAR MARONDERA DIED MARCH 15 FROM INJURIES SUSTAINED IN

A BEATING BY ZANU-PF YOUTHS. RUTHERFORD WAS ALSO

SEVERELY BEATEN AND HOSPITALIZED FOR FOUR DAYS.

 

— THE CHIPESA FARM HOUSE, OWNED BY MDC ACTIVISTS IAIN

AND KERRY KAY, WAS LOOTED BY ZANU-PF MILITANTS ON MARCH

15. SOME OF THE LOOTERS SPORTED AK-47S AND POLICE

RESERVIST UNIFORMS, AND BEAT SEVERAL FARM WORKERS. THE

HOUSE’S FURNISHINGS WERE TAKEN AND THE FARM’S DIESEL AND

FERTILIZER WERE ALSO STOLEN. THE CHIPESA FARM WAS

VISITED BY ASSISTANT SECRETARY LORNE CRANER IN JANUARY.

 

— FIFTEEN FARMERS HAVE BEEN FORCED OFF THEIR PROPERTY

SINCE THE ELECTION ENDED, ACCORDING TO THE CFU.

 

——-

COMMENT

——-

 

13. (C) IT IS NOT CERTAIN THAT THE ELECTION WOULD HAVE

TURNED ENTIRELY ON THE BALLOT-STUFFING TRICKS DESCRIBED

ABOVE, BUT BY OUR CAUTIOUS ESTIMATION IT MIGHT HAVE

ADDED UP TO MORE THAN 300,000 ADDITIONAL VOTES FOR

MUGABE — THREE QUARTERS OF THE 427,000 MARGIN OF

VICTORY. WHEN COUPLED WITH THE SLASHING OF URBAN

POLLING STATIONS AND TWO YEARS OF INTENSE INTIMIDATION

AND VIOLENCE, FACTORS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO QUANTIFY BUT

EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN VOTE RIGGING, IT BECOMES

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 03       HARARE 00713 04 OF 04 191204Z

CLEAR MUGABE WOULD HAVE BEEN HARD PUT TO WIN A FREE AND

FAIR ELECTION. END COMMENT.

 

SULLIVAN

 

CONFIDENTIAL

 

>

 

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Charles Rukuni
The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

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