A villager in Gutu told visiting United States embassy officials he had no faith that the next elections would be free and fair because to him, the word election means death.
He said this in May 2009, barely three months after the formation of the inclusive government, but reports said Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front candidates Paul Chimedza and Shuvai Mahofa were already campaigning.
Dr Chimedza had already dished out 30 bicycles at one elementary school as part of his campaign.
Mahofa, who was beaten by Eliphas Mukonoweshuro in the 2008 elections, wanted to contest for the Senate and was telling people that under the inclusive government both she and Mukonoweshuro were Members of Parliament for the area.
Mukonoweshuro died in South Africa in August 2011.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 09HARARE379, FORGIVE AND FORGET? NOT YET — RECONCILIATION SLOW
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Reference ID |
Created |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO8867
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0379/01 1271551
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 071551Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4451
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2805
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2926
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 1369
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2189
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 2554
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2974
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 5415
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2098
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 000379
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 M. GAVIN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/2019
TAGS: ASEC KDEM PGOV PHUM PREL ZI
SUBJECT: FORGIVE AND FORGET? NOT YET — RECONCILIATION SLOW
IN RURAL ZIMBABWE
REF: 08 HARARE 527
Classified By: Charge d’affaires, a.i. Katherine Dhanani for reasons 1.
4 (b) and (d).
——-
SUMMARY
——-
¶1. (C) Progress towards forgiveness is slow in Gutu South, a
rural constituency that was hard hit by violence during the
2008 inter-election period. Although some chiefs are leading
an effort towards reconciliation between victims and
perpetrators of violence, fear and intimidation remain high
and reconciliation is slow. Villagers told us that ZANU-PF
leaders continue to threaten to beat MDC members whenever the
next election is held, and war veterans maintain bases in the
area. Reports of ZANU-PF political leaders’ distribution of
food and bicycles to party members represents a continuation
of years of politicized aid by the party. END SUMMARY.
——————————————— —-
Rural Zim — A Year After the “Moment of Madness”
——————————————— —-
¶2. (SBU) A year after political violence devastated
Zimbabwe’s rural communities, poloff and a poloff from the
British Embassy visited the Gutu South constituency, at the
invitation of the Gutu Rural District Council, on May 6. In
the 2008 parliamentary election, Gutu South elected MDC MP
Eliphas Mukonoweshuro (now also Minister of Public Service)
over ZANU-PF incumbent Shuvai Mahofa. In fact, this rural
area elected several MDC candidates for the first time ever,
sparking significant violence (Ref). A year ago, this region
was a no-go area and our visit would have caused an uproar
and perhaps violence or retribution against our
interlocutors. This trip, in contrast, was peaceful and we
were greeted warmly.
¶3. (SBU) This area is far from the beaten track and newspaper
distribution, meaning radio is the only real source of
information. Community leaders told us in hushed voices that
they rely on Studio 7, the local VOA outlet, as their primary
source of balanced, fair news.
—————————
Schools Open and Struggling
—————————
¶4. (SBU) We first visited Rupiri Secondary School, home to
about 280 students who walk as much as 10 km to reach the
school. Despite threats of a teachers’ strike, all teachers
were present and teaching full classes. None of the children
in the school had paid any portion of the US$5 school fee for
the term, which began on May 5. Teachers and administrators
acknowledged that none of the children could afford to pay
the fee, which would normally fund supplies for the school
like textbooks, chalk, and cleaning supplies. Without school
fees, the headmaster does not know how they will obtain the
supplies. Not surprisingly, a significant textbook shortage
means children must share. The headmaster, also the English
teacher, has just four textbooks for his two classes of about
40 children each. (NOTE: In rural schools, this
textbook-to-student ratio is not uncommon. END NOTE.)
Qtextbook-to-student ratio is not uncommon. END NOTE.)
———————————————
Villagers Not Yet Ready to Forgive and Forget
———————————————
¶5. (SBU) In Ma-na township, an hour’s drive on a dirt road
from the main highway, we met with the MDC councilor for ward
HARARE 00000379 002 OF 003
27, Jeffrey Tangimari, and about 40 constituents under the
shade of a tree behind the empty general store. Although the
meeting was intended to be an opportunity for ZANU-PF
perpetrators and MDC victims to share their experiences and
discuss moving forward, only one perpetrator was present. He
stood before the group and said he felt used by the ZANU-PF
apparatus. He and others were promised jobs and money if
they beat MDC members so that they would not vote in the June
27, 2008 runoff election. He said he is like everyone else
in the constituency and has nothing. He expressed regret for
his actions and asked for help in providing medical care to
the victims still nursing injuries. Villagers also explained
that even though some ZANU-PF perpetrators regret their
actions and want to be reintegrated, they remain fearful of
ZANU-PF retaliation for “changing sides.”
¶6. (SBU) After the lone perpetrator present asked for
forgiveness, numerous villagers, including several elderly
women, rose to tell of the beatings they endured, the
livestock stolen, and the nights they slept in the cold after
their homes were burned to the ground by ZANU-PF supporters.
One woman told of a cow that was stolen in 2002 — a sign
that memories and anger go far beyond the 2008 election
violence. Many reported they were forced to vote for Robert
Mugabe in the June 27 runoff election. Although some said
they could forgive these wrongs — if they could recoup lost
property and they were assured future elections would be
peaceful, free, and fair — none expressed a willingness to
forget.
¶7. (SBU) Although some chiefs and councilors have spearheaded
community-building efforts, like reciprocal watering of
community gardens and soccer games, tensions and fears are
still palpable.
—————————————
“To Us the Word ‘Election’ Means Death”
—————————————
¶8. (SBU) Villagers went on to tell us that they had all heard
recent threats from ZANU-PF supporters and ZANU-PF affiliated
headmen and chiefs that they will be beaten or killed in the
next election. In addition, ZANU-PF and war veterans were
already forming bases just a few kilometers away. One man
told us he had no faith that the next elections would be free
and fair; he explained, “to us the word ‘election’ means
death.” Although they all want the inclusive government to
work at the national level, even more important to them, at
the local level they want village headmen and chiefs to be
non-partisan and the threat of election-related violence to
end.
—————————–
ZANU-PF Campaigning Has Begun
—————————–
¶9. (C) In his Ministry office on May 7, MP Mukonoweshuro
confirmed that Dr. Paul Chimedza has already begun
campaigning against him for his parliamentary seat. The
defeated ZANU-PF MP candidate (who now says she wants to be
Senator), Shuvai Mahofa, has also been in the constituency
QSenator), Shuvai Mahofa, has also been in the constituency
and was distributing maize seed to ZANU-PF supporters as
recently as April 2. In her statements to locals, she misled
constituents and told them that under the “unity government”
both she and Mukonoweshuro are MPs for the area. According
to MDC activists in the constituency, at the end of April,
Chimedza distributed 30 bicycles at one rural elementary
school. (NOTE: Chimedza, who is a former president of the
Zimbabwe Medical Association, is also chairman of Zimbabwe
Health Alliance Trust (ZIHAT), an NGO that claims to solicit
funds from the U.S. and Europe to benefit Zimbabwe’s public
HARARE 00000379 003 OF 003
health system. END NOTE.)
¶10. (C) Mukonoweshuro told us that ZANU-PF candidates are
distributing goods that were taken from the government and
Reserve Bank before the unity government was formed in
February. He acknowledged widespread fear of violence and
told us that Zimbabwe needs to return to a “modicum of
normalcy” in order to develop an honest people-driven
constitution and to have a free and fair election. He hoped
the MDC would push through enough structural changes in the
government, including to the police and army, to make change
inevitable and propel the country towards a free and fair
election.
——-
COMMENT
——-
¶11. (C) The continued fear in Gutu South is indicative of the
long term devastation the 2008 ZANU-PF terror campaign
inflicted on the countryside. While the public remains
hopeful that the transitional government will bring about
peace, our visit made clear that people are nowhere near
letting their guard down. Memories of last year’s violence
are still fresh, and no significant steps have been taken to
return livestock or crops that were stolen or destroyed.
Some measures, like community soccer, are playing a modest
role in rebuilding trust, but broader efforts, like a
restructuring of police and de-politicization of village
heads, are needed to reduce the fear associated with
elections. For the moment, poor, rural victims in Gutu have
no real means of obtaining the recourse they desire to
achieve meaningful reconciliation. END COMMENT.
DHANANI
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