Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai did not make a good first impression when he held his first briefing for diplomats in Pretoria on 5 June 2007.
According to one of the cables released by Wikileaks Tsvangirai read a prepared speech about deteriorating living conditions in Zimbabwe, citing increasing poverty and lower life expectancy.
“Everything is in short supply, except misery,” said Tsvangirai. Commenting on the briefing United States embassy officials said: “The briefing, which was novel in that it was the first time the MDC discussed its concerns with Pretoria’s diplomatic community, offered little new insight into the situation and left many diplomats disappointed.”
Tsvangirai accused the international community of “turning a blind eye” not only to the plight of Zimbabwean refugees, but to the impact the crisis was having on neighbouring countries.
According to Tsvangirai, around 5 million Zimbabwean refugees had flooded the region, with South Africa hosting 3.5 million and Botswana hosting “hundreds of thousands.”
South Africa estimated the total number of Zimbabweans in South Africa between 1 and 2 million.
On the possibility of the two opposition MDC factions coming together, Tsvangirai told the crowd that the opposition was united in their desire for change but he was not optimistic about any sort of reunion.
Tsvangirai told the crowd half-jokingly that “divorces are difficult and should be seen as a process, not an event.”
Political analyst Sydney Masamvu later that day told embassy officials that he also had little hope for any sort of reconciliation among opposition factions.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 07PRETORIA2044, MDC CALLS ON INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO REACT
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Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO7970
RR RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSA #2044/01 1580428
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 070428Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0233
INFO RUCNSAD/SADC COLLECTIVE
RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 4468
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 002044
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2017
SUBJECT: MDC CALLS ON INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO REACT
REF: PRETORIA 1554
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Donald Teitelbaum. Reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).
¶1. (C) SUMMARY. On 5 June, MDC Leader Morgan Tsvangirai held
his first briefing for Pretoria’s diplomatic corps to brief
them on the ongoing human rights abuses in Zimbabwe and the
plight of Zimbabwean refugees in southern Africa. A short
video clip was shown of Tsvangirai visiting hundreds of
Zimbabwean refugees crowded into a church to illustrate the
MDC’s point that the challenges are great and that it “cannot
handle the problem alone.” While the footage and
Tsvangirai’s speech were moving, Tsvangirai had little to add
SIPDIS
about his vision of the future and even less to say about the
Mbeki-led SADC negotiation, which according to him “has not
even started.” Nevertheless, the MDC has a valid point.
Since Mbeki was appointed mediator, much of the international
coverage has died down, at least in South Africa, despite the
continuing human rights abuses of Mugabe and systematic
repression of the opposition by GOZ security forces. END
SUMMARY.
—————————————
HUMANITARIAN ABUSES CONTINUE IN SILENCE
—————————————
¶2. (C) MDC Leader Morgan Tsvangirai on 5 June held his first
briefing for the Pretoria diplomatic corps and described the
effects of the crisis of governance, economic collapse,
environmental stress, ongoing political repression, and human
rights abuses inside and outside Zimbabwe. Tsvangirai read a
prepared speech about deteriorating living conditions in
Zimbabwe, citing increasing poverty and lower life
expectancy. “Everything is in short supply, except misery,”
said Tsvangirai. He also added that the MDC is being
targeted, with 1,000 MDC leaders detained with trumped up
charges of terrorism since 11 March, 50 of whom are still
incarcerated. (Note: Embassy Harare believes that
Tsvangirai’s reported estimates of detained MDC leaders
SIPDIS
overstates the situation, but concurs with the general
thrust of his comment, and adds that as of the last week,
incarcerations numbered 32. End Note)
¶3. (C) Tsvangirai accused the international community of
“turning a blind eye” not only to the plight of Zimbabwean
refugees, but to the impact the crisis is having on
neighboring countries. According to Tsvangirai, around 5
million Zimbabwean refugees have flooded the region, with
South Africa hosting 3.5 million and Botswana hosting
“hundreds of thousands.” (Note: South Africa estimates the
total number of Zimbabweans in South Africa between 1 and 2
million. End Note) According to Tsvangirai, in the absence
of an internal military conflict or civil war, Zimbabweans
who flee to neighboring countries to escape persecution and
hardship are not given refugee status but are labeled
“lawbreakers” and sent back to Zimbabwe. Tsvangirai said
that those who return are often “never seen again” and those
who manage to stay lack access to medical care because they
do not have proper papers. Diplomats were then shown a
crudely shot video taken on 4 June of Tsvangirai visiting the
Central Methodist Church in Braamfontein, which is a
sanctuary for Zimbabweans who fled to South Africa.
According to the MDC, the church is hosting about 900
refugees, with an average of 20 new arrivals every day. They
arrive after 9:00 PM each night and leave before sunrise to
avoid being arrested as illegal immigrants. The first couple
of minutes of footage showed hundreds of people sleeping on
the floor in entrances, hallways, and stairwells, while the
second half showed Tsvangirai in a pinstripe suit looking
rather uncomfortable in front of a cheering crowd.
————————–
LITTLE MOVEMENT WITHIN MDC
————————–
¶4. (C) After Tsvangirai’s speech, the floor was opened for
questions. When asked by the German Ambassador how the MDC
imagines its transition, Tsvangirai spoke about “Stage 1” of
the process by repeating MDC’s demands for a level playing
field — insisting on a new constitution and free and fair
elections, which could only be achieved by a legitimate
electoral commission, allowing Zimbabweans abroad the right
to vote, equal access to media, and allowing international
observers to monitor the 2008 election. Tsvangirai never
mentioned a “Stage 2,” adding rather nonchalantly that the
“solution is simple,” and that other issues like “transition
of the security forces can be brought to the table as well.”
PRETORIA 00002044 002 OF 002
¶5. (C) As for the possibility of the two opposition MDC
factions coming together, Tsvangirai told the crowd that the
opposition is united in their desire for change but he did
not appear optimistic about any sort of reunion. Tsvangirai
told the crowd half-jokingly that “divorces are difficult and
should be seen as a process, not an event.” Political
analyst Sydney Masamvu (Protect) later that day told PolOff
that he also has little hope for any sort of reconciliation
among opposition factions.
¶6. (C) When asked about the possibility of the opposition
boycotting the election, Tsvangirai said the MDC does not
have a crystal ball and therefore he cannot assess the
potential of success of the SADC initiative. “It’s premature
to decide if we will boycott the election. We need to give
mediation time.” It’s also presumptuous to view election in
terms of a particular date, he suggested. “As far as we are
concerned, the date is not important.” In the end, he did
not say whether they would boycott or not, but did say that
people in Zimbabwe do not want to take part in an exercise
that has a predetermined outcome (read: another bogus
election and illegitimate ZANU-PF victory).
—————————–
LESS FAITH IN SADC INITIATIVE
—————————–
¶7. (C) Tsvangirai appeared to have little faith in the
Mbeki-led SADC initiative, telling the crowd that
negotiations among Zimbabwe’s political parties have not even
started. He also said that while the MDC wants the Mbeki
initiative to succeed, the MDC needs “an honest broker” and
“international assistance to ensure a peaceful environment.”
Tsvangirai believes that Mugabe’s actions are scuttling any
SIPDIS
chance of success before talks even begin. He also said that
ZANU-PF is stalling for time and had not yet submitted their
response to MDC’s operational concerns about moving forward
toward democracy. ZANU-PF’s delayed response forced Mbeki’s
team to cancel the 3 June meeting, which was supposed to
hammer out the negotiation agenda. (NOTE: ZANU-PF submitted
their response on 4 June. See septel. END NOTE)
——-
COMMENT
——-
¶8. (C) The briefing, which was novel in that it was the
first time the MDC discussed its concerns with Pretoria’s
diplomatic community, offered little new insight into the
situation and left many diplomats disappointed. However, the
MDC’s plea to keep up the pressure has substance. First,
media coverage has steadily dwindled over the past couple of
months, despite the continuing political repression, human
rights abuses, and refugee flood. Second, in the absence of
a militarized civil war, in comparison to conflicts like
Darfur, and in the context of Mbeki being appointed mediator,
Zimbabwe has been put on the back burner for many
international observers as governments and organizations take
a “wait and see” posture to avoid undermining Mbeki’s
efforts. However, more than two months into the process,
Mugabe and his party have not slowed down in their systematic
attempts to further slant the playing field in their favor.
All the while, Zimbabweans continue to come across the border
with hardly any safety nets to help them.
BOST
(18 VIEWS)
