The Commercial Farmers Union came up with a plan under which donors were going to provide soft loans to resettled farmers while the commercial farmers were to provide technical support in exchange for an end to their harassment and the illegal occupation of their farms but this was rejected outright by Agriculture Minister Joseph Made.
Vice President Joseph Msika had told the farmers that the government was studying their proposal but Made rejected the offer out of hand.
Msika and other cabinet members are reported to have upbraided Made for making statements contrary to Msika’s on the farmers’ proposal.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 01HARARE1836, MORE ON ZIMBABWE COMMERCIAL FARMERS’ PROPOSAL
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
080915Z Jun 01
CONFIDENTIAL PTO7096
PAGE 01 HARARE 01836 080914Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AGRE-00 AID-00 AMAD-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00
COME-00 DINT-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00
EUR-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 FRB-00 H-01 TEDE-00
INR-00 IO-00 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 /010W
——————F5EF31 080915Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9055
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001836
SIPDIS
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER
LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS
NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/08/11
TAGS: EAGR PGOV PHUM PINR EAID ZI
SUBJECT: MORE ON ZIMBABWE COMMERCIAL FARMERS’ PROPOSAL
TO RESOLVE LAND DISPUTE
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 HARARE 01836 080914Z
REF: A) HARARE 1749, B) HARARE 1276, C) HARARE 1102
CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D’AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR
REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D).
¶1. (C) MALCOLM VOWLES, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE
COMMERCIAL FARMERS’ UNION (CFU), ELABORATED TO POLOFF ON
JUNE 6 ON THE CFU’S NEW PROPOSAL TO THE GOVERNMENT OF
ZIMBABWE (GOZ) TO RESOLVE THEIR LONG-SIMMERING IMPASSE
ON LAND REFORM (SEE REF A FOR DETAILS OF THE PROPOSAL).
VOWLES STATED THAT BOTH THE CFU AND GOZ ARE INCREASINGLY
WEARY OF THE LAND IMPASSE, AND BOTH ARE FEELING OUT A
MODERATE APPROACH TO RESOLVE TENSIONS. THE CFU’S
SPECIAL CONGRESS IN MARCH (REF C) MANDATED THAT A
SOLUTION BE FOUND, AND THIS LATEST PROPOSAL IS THE BEST
ATTEMPT SO FAR. THE OFFER AIMS TO MAKE THE GOZ’S “FAST-
TRACK” EXERCISE A SUCCESS BY PROVIDING SOFT LOANS
(FUNDED BY DONORS) AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT (PROVIDED BY
THE COMMERCIAL FARMING COMMUNITY) TO RESETTLED FAMILIES
IN EXCHANGE FOR AN END TO THE HARASSMENT OF COMMERCIAL
FARMERS AND THE ILLEGAL OCCUPATION OF THEIR FARMS,
VOWLES CONTINUED. HE SAID THAT THE GOZ HAD THIS WEEK
ACKNOWLEDGED RECEIPT OF THE CFU’S PROPOSAL, AND THAT IT
HAD BEEN SENT TO A “COMPETENT,” INTER-MINISTERIAL
TECHNICAL TEAM FOR REVIEW. THE TEAM’S FINDINGS ARE DUE
TO BE SENT TO THE CABINET THE WEEK OF JUNE 11, THE CFU
OFFICIAL REPORTED.
¶2. (C) AT A LARGE SOCIAL EVENT HELD JUNE 7 AND ATTENDED
BY OVER 200 COMMERCIAL FARMERS, ECONOFF WAS TOLD BY
THOSE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN MOVING THE PROPOSAL FORWARD
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 HARARE 01836 080914Z
THAT THE TWO PARTIES HAD GONE BEYOND THE POSING STAGE,
AND THAT SOME SERIOUS NEGOTIATIONS WERE NOW UNDER WAY.
INFORMED SOURCES TOLD THE USAID DIRECTOR THAT VICE-
PRESIDENT MSIKA, AMONG OTHER CABINET MEMBERS, RECENTLY
UPBRAIDED LANDS, AGRICULTURE AND RESETTLEMENT MINISTER
JOSEPH MADE FOR MAKING STATEMENTS CONTRARY TO HIS OWN ON
THE FARMERS’ PROPOSAL. THE AGRICULTURE MINISTER
PUBLICLY REJECTED THE OFFER OUT OF HAND WHILE THE VICE-
PRESIDENT HAD ANNOUNCED WITH CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM THAT THE
GOVERNMENT WAS STUDYING IT.
¶3. (C) COMMENT: THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS’ READOUT IS ONE
WE HAVE HEARD BEFORE, BUT EVEN THE APPEARANCE OF
MOVEMENT IS BETTER THAN THE CURRENT IMPASSE. EVEN IF
THE GOZ TECHNICAL TEAM SMILES ON THE CFU’S PROPOSAL, THE
FARMERS ARE PROBABLY OVEROPTIMISTIC ON ITS CHANCES IN
THE GOZ CABINET. VOWLES’ COMMENTS LIKELY REFLECT
HOPEFUL THINKING AMONG THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS THAT THE
GOZ TRULY WANTS TO FIND A SOLUTION TO THE LAND REFORM
IMPASSE. END COMMENT.
IRVING
CONFIDENTIAL
>
(23 VIEWS)
