The United States showered Zimbabwe with praise on its stance on terrorism but that was way back in the 1980s before relations between the two nations soured.
Zimbabwe had just cracked a major network of South African agents who were destabilising the country in their fight against the African National Congress which had been accorded official status in Harare.
This is contained in one of the diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks last week. The cable related to the United States embassy report for the 1988 annual terrorism report.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 88HARARE5924, ZIMBABWE – 1988 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT
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Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
Origin |
R 151121Z NOV 88
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 9839
INFO AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
AMEMBASSY GABORONE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 05924
S/CT FOR WHARTON
E.O. 12356: N/A
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE – 1988 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT
REF: A) STATE 357278, B) STATE 279799
¶1. THE FOLLOWING IS OUR SUBMISSION FOR THE ANNUAL
TERRORISM REPORT AS OUTLINED IN REF A:
COURT PROSECUTIONS INVOLVING TERRORISM IN 1988
——————————————— —
¶2. THERE WERE TWO NOTEWORTHY COURT CASES INVOLVING
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM IN 1988. THE FIRST CONCERNED
SIX INDIVIDUALS ACCUSED OF A STRING OF SOUTH AFRICAN
DIRECTED BOMBINGS OF SUSPECTED ANC TARGETS IN HARARE AND
BULAWAYO OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. THE SECOND WAS THE
CASE OF A MOZAMBICAN NATIONAL ACCUSED OF BEING A RENAMO
TERRORIST.
¶3. ONE OF THE SIX ALLEGED SOUTH AFRICAN AGENTS, RORY
MAGUIRE, WAS CONVICTED AND SENTENCED IN JULY TO SEVEN
YEARS FOR HIS ROLE IN THE BOMBINGS. THREE OTHERS–
KEVIN WOODS, MICHAEL SMITH AND PHILLIP CONJWAYO–ARE
BEING TRIED AT PRESENT. TWO–BARRY BAWDEN AND GUY
BAWDEN–STILL AWAIT TRIAL.
¶4. THE ACCUSED RENAMO TERRORIST, JOHN SAMUEL MATAVEYA,
WAS CONVICTED IN NOVEMBER ON SIX OF SEVEN COUNTS OF
MURDER, ATTEMPTED MURDER, ARMED ROBBERY AND POSSESSION
OF ARMS OF WAR. MATAVEYA KILLED TWO CIVILIANS,
INCLUDING A YOUNG BOY, IN APRIL 1987. HIS WAS THE FIRST
TRIAL IN ZIMBABWEAN COURTS OF AN ALLEGED RENAMO
TERRORIST.
PLO STATUS
———-
¶5. THE PLO IS ACCORDED FULL DIPLOMATIC STATUS INCLUDING
AN ACCREDITED AMBASSADOR. THIS IS UNCHANGED SINCE 1987.
PUBLIC STATEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF TERRORISM
—————————————–
¶6. NONE.
MAJOR COUNTERTERRORISM EFFORTS IN 1988
————————————–
¶7. THE MAJOR COUNTERTERRORISM ACTIONS THIS YEAR HAVE
BEEN:
— CONTINUING EFFORTS TO COUNTER AND CONTAIN RENAMO
INCURSIONS INTO EASTERN ZIMBABWE AND ESPECIALLY RENAMO
ATTACKS ON BORDER CIVILIAN POPULATIONS. THOUGH THE
LEVEL OF SUCH RENAMO ACTIVITY MAY HAVE DROPPED,
CIVILIANS ALONG THE BORDER ARE STILL SUBJECT TO MURDER,
MUTILATION AND DISAPPEARANCE.
— THE ARREST AND ELIMINATION OF A MAJOR NETWORK OF
SOUTH AFRICAN AGENTS APPARENTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL
BOMBING ATTACKS AGAINST SUSPECTED ANC TARGETS IN RECENT
YEARS.
— THE AMNESTY DECLARED IN APRIL WHICH, ALONG WITH THE
UNITY AGREEMENT BETWEEN ZANU AND ZAPU, EFFECTIVELY ENDED
DISSIDENT VIOLENCE IN MATABELELAND. 113 DISSIDENTS
TURNED THEMSELVES IN ACCOUNTING FOR MOST ALL THOSE
BELIEVED TO BE OPERATING IN THE BUSH.
RESPONSE OF THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM
——————————-
¶8. THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM HAS RESPONDED TO CASES OF
ALLEGED TERRORISM BROUGHT BEFORE IT IN LINE WITH
INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED STANDARDS FOR AN INDEPENDENT
AND PROFESSIONAL JUDICIARY. SO FAR THIS YEAR THERE HAVE
BEEN TWO CONVICTIONS, AS OUTLINED ABOVE, WHILE OTHER
TRIALS ARE STILL UNDER WAY.
SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
———————————–
¶9. ZIMBABWE ACCORDS THE ANC REPRESENTATIVE IN HARARE
OFFICIAL STATUS AND SUPPORTS THE ANC’S POLITICAL GOAL OF
AN END TO APARTHEID. SOME 250 SOUTH AFRICAN EXILES FIND
REFUGE IN ZIMBABWE. IN THE PAST, THE SOUTH AFRICAN
GOVERNMENT HAS CHARGED THAT THE ANC HAS LAUNCHED ATTACKS
WITHIN SOUTH AFRICA FROM ZIMBABWEAN TERRITORY. BUT THE
ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT MAKES A GENUINE EFFORT TO CONTROL
ANC ACTIVITY ON ZIMBABWEAN TERRITORY. THERE IS NO
EVIDENCE OF ANY PERMANENT ANC MILITARY PRESENCE IN
ZIMBABWE.
RAWLINGS
(33 VIEWS)
