The leader of a non-governmental organisation who was described by the United States embassy as a long time political analyst in Zimbabwe bemoaned the Movement for Democratic Change’s clumsy political missteps, its underestimation of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, and lack of political forethought.
Tony Reeler, executive director of the Research and Advocacy Unit, said the MDC’s focus on parliament and regional heads of state to combat ZANU-PF policies demonstrated a lack of creativity.
Rather, he said, the MDC should take the struggle to communities across Zimbabwe, where it enjoyed wide support, and seek to undermine ZANU-PF politically.
Reeler said no one was able to effectively lead the party because all its leaders were in government.
“As the MDC is struggling to run government, ZANU-PF is sitting back and regrouping in preparation of upcoming political battles, including elections,” he said.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 09HARARE864, NGO DIRECTOR BEMOANS LACK OF PROGRESS IN ZIM
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Reference ID |
Created |
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VZCZCXRO4275
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0864/01 3030702
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 300702Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5084
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 3134
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 3246
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 1673
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2507
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 2876
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 3294
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 5742
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2426
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000864
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR B. WALCH
DRL FOR N. WILETT
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/29/2019
SUBJECT: NGO DIRECTOR BEMOANS LACK OF PROGRESS IN ZIM
Classified By: Charge d’affaires, a.i. Donald Petterson for reason 1.4
(b).
——-
SUMMARY
——-
¶1. (C) The Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU), a local NGO, is
joining with regional civil society organizations to pressure
southern African governments to re-focus attention on
Zimbabwe and the failures of the Global Political Agreement
(GPA). RAU Director Tony Reeler also shared with poloffs his
thoughts on how regional and grassroots mobilization could
help the MDC focus its efforts toward bringing things right
again in Zimbabwe. He warned donors to avoid directing too
much money to the constitution-making process, which he
believes is simply a ZANU-PF ploy to buy time before another
flawed election. END SUMMARY.
¶2. (C) On October 20, poloffs met with the Executive Director
of RAU and longtime political analyst Tony Reeler, who
presented a sobering, but thoughtful analysis of Zimbabwe’s
current situation. He began by explaining RAU’s programs,
some of which are funded by USAID and/or the Office of
Transition Initiatives (OTI). RAU runs three main programs:
(1) A transitional justice program that has included a
recent, thorough review of the voters’ role; (2) a campaign
to raise awareness of farm worker displacements, including
production of the film “House of Justice” and an upcoming
report on the issue; and (3) a campaign aimed at exposing
sexual violence against women, and providing social support
and counseling to victims of violence. As a part of this
third program, a documentary called “Hear Us” on sexual
violence during the 2008 election campaign will be shown at a
film festival in New York in the coming weeks. RAU also has
a non-publicized project on economic crimes, patronage, and
corruption in Zimbabwe and the region that has uncovered
evidence of money laundering and sanctions busting, but is in
need of roughly US$40,000 funding for further investigation.
—————————-
Political Advice for the MDC
—————————-
¶3. (C) Like many in civil society, Reeler bemoaned the MDC’s
clumsy political missteps, underestimation of ZANU-PF, and
lack of political forethought. He said that the MDC’s focus
on parliament and regional heads of state to combat ZANU-PF
policies demonstrates a lack of creativity. Rather, he said,
the MDC should take the struggle to communities across
Zimbabwe, where MDC enjoys wide support, and seek to
undermine ZANU-PF politically. Because so many of the MDC’s
leaders are in government, Reeler explained, no one has been
able to effectively lead the MDC as a party. The MDC
Secretary General, who should be lobbying regional political
parties to garner greater political support, is Minister of
Finance Tendai Biti, who is already overwhelmed by the task
of restoring order to Zimbabwe’s economy. As the MDC is
struggling to run government, ZANU-PF is sitting back and
regrouping in preparation of upcoming political battles,
including elections.
Qincluding elections.
¶4. (C) Reeler also explained that the MDC can and should do
more to launch an aggressive campaign to raise awareness of
the GOZ’s recent decision to pull out of the SADC tribunal
after it ruled in favor of 78 white farmers who faced
eviction from their farms. The MDC could capitalize on this
to point out ZANU-PF’s repeated disdain for international
bodies and treaties, but instead has remained relatively
silent.
———————————-
HARARE 00000864 002 OF 002
Donors: Spend More on Communities,
Less on the Constitution,
Hammer the Benchmarks,
and Add Sanctions
———————————-
¶5. (C) Reeler lamented the lack of coordination among civil
society organizations to effectively organize and lobby
regional civil society organizations to pressure their own
governments on the Zimbabwe issue. He also believed that
more should be done to empower local communities to prevent,
document, and stop violence in their own communities.
¶6. (C) Turning to the constitution-making process, Reeler
criticized donors (the USG included) for expending
significant funding and attention on what he described as
“nonsense politics.” Reeler believes that ZANU-PF will make
good on its repeated assertion that it will not give up
power, and that ZANU-PF’s hardliners will not allow the
constitution-making process to produce a democratic document.
Rather, he said, ZANU-PF was using the process as a
distraction to allow time to reconsolidate and to re-stock
coffers exhausted by the 2008 elections in order to prepare
for another election that it would win — through violence.
Reeler opined that if donors sought proposals on community
empowerment rather than a litany of civil society workshops
on the constitution, communities would be better equipped to
prevent a violent election campaign when the time comes.
Although ZANU-PF had become much weaker financially, it was
still strong enough to come back. “We cannot get rid of
ZANU-PF until we weaken it enough to bring it to its knees.”
¶7. (C) Reeler praised the so-called “benchmarks” that donors
had previously set forth as prerequisites for Zimbabwe to
re-engage with the West. However, he said, many in
government had forgotten or ignored the benchmarks. He
advised us and others to continue to reiterate the changes
Zimbabwe needs to make, particularly the need for media
freedom.
¶8. (C) On sanctions, Reeler encouraged us to add individuals
to the OFAC sanctions list. Significantly, Reeler agreed to
share with us a complete copy of the voters’ role of
Zimbabwe, which would provide us with birth dates of all
potential candidates for financial sanctions.
——-
COMMENT
——-
¶9. (C) Reeler is a longtime civil society leader and he
presents a thoughtful, albeit critical, analysis of how the
MDC, donors, and civil society can work more effectively
towards bringing democracy to Zimbabwe. We agree with his
assessment that the MDC can and should do more to mobilize
its grassroots support, but such action may be more difficult
than Reeler implies. Communities remain traumatized by 2008
election violence, and many will not be willing to openly
identify themselves with the MDC as long as violence
perpetrators continue to enjoy impunity. END COMMENT.
DHANANI
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