Made refused to compromise with white farmers

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

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(23 VIEWS)