War veterans went on a rampage country-wide and besieged the offices of The Daily News and confiscated copies of the paper from vendors and harassed striking civil servants.
The war veterans were being led by Chenjerai Hunzvi and Joseph Chinotimba who led a “hired crowd” to intimidate journalists at the Daily News which had just reported on the death of Democratic Republic of Congo leader Laurent Kabila.
The Herald described the rampage as a solidarity march to show Zimbabwean support for the DRC.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 01HARARE537, ZIMBABWE WAR VETERANS ON THE RAMPAGE
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
261021Z Jan 01
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ0132
PAGE 01 HARARE 00537 261024Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 AMAD-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 INL-00
DINT-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 EUR-00
FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00
L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01 OPIC-01
PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 IRM-00
SSO-00 STR-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-01
DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /009W
——————BBE387 261024Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8103
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000537
SIPDIS
LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS
NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/11
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE WAR VETERANS ON THE RAMPAGE
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 HARARE 00537 261024Z
CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D’AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR
REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D).
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: ZIMBABWE’S SO-CALLED WAR VETERANS WENT
ON A RAMPAGE ACROSS THE COUNTRY DURING THE WEEK OF
JANUARY 22. HUNDREDS OF THEM, OR PEOPLE THEY DRAGOONED,
HAVE BESIEGED THE HARARE OFFICES OF THE INDEPENDENT “THE
DAILY NEWS” AND CONFISCATED THE PUBLICATION FROM
VENDORS, HARASSED STRIKING CIVIL SERVICE WORKERS, AND
RAIDED SEVERAL CITY COUNCIL OFFICES IN MATABELELAND TO
EXPEL THEIR MEMBERS. THE WAR VETERANS’ RENEWED ACTIVITY
IN OPPOSITION STRONGHOLDS COULD INDICATE THAT ZANU-PF
HAS NOT WRITTEN THEM OFF AS PRESUMED, AND THAT THESE
AREAS WILL BE TARGETS OF INTIMIDATION IN THE RUN-UP TO
THE 2002 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. END SUMMARY.
¶2. (U) ON JANUARY 23, THE INDEPENDENT “THE DAILY NEWS”
REPORTED THAT WAR VETERANS AND A “HIRED CROWD,” LED BY
WAR VETERANS ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT CHENJERAI HUNZVI AND
SELF-STYLED FARM OCCUPATIONS LEADER JOSEPH CHINOTIMBA,
BESIEGED ITS HARARE OFFICES FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THE
NEWSPAPER REPORTED THAT WAR VETERANS BLOCKED TRAFFIC,
JOSTLED “DAILY NEWS” JOURNALISTS COVERING THE EVENT,
BEAT UP PASSERS-BY WHO FAILED TO CHANT ZANU-PF SLOGANS,
AND DAMAGED TWO OFFICE WINDOWS. APPARENTLY, NO WAR
VETERANS ENTERED THE NEWSPAPER’S OFFICES, HOWEVER. THE
JANUARY 24 GOVERNMENT MOUTHPIECE “THE HERALD”
CHARACTERIZED THE DEMONSTRATION AS A “SOLIDARITY MARCH”
TO SHOW ZIMBABWEAN SUPPORT FOR THE DRC. OBSERVERS
REPORTED THAT THE UNRULY CROWD WAVED PROFESSIONALLY-
PRINTED PLACARDS CRITICIZING THE NEWSPAPER’S REPORT THAT
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 HARARE 00537 261024Z
MOST ZIMBABWEANS WERE ELATED BY THE DRC PRESIDENT’S
DEATH. THE JANUARY 25 “THE HERALD” REPORTED THAT WAR
VETERANS IN MUTOKO DISTRICT OF MASHONALAND EAST PROVINCE
DEMONSTRATED AGAINST THE “THE DAILY NEWS” FOR THE SAME
ARTICLE. THE DEMONSTRATORS SAID THEY WOULD ENSURE THAT
THE INDEPENDENT PAPER WAS NEVER CIRCULATED IN MUTOKO
AGAIN. THE JANUARY 26 ISSUE OF THE “THE DAILY NEWS”
STATED THAT ZANU-PF SUPPORTERS HAVE BEEN CONFISCATING
FROM VENDORS COPIES OF “THE DAILY NEWS” AND BURNING
THEM, AND THAT POLICE HAVE FAILED TO INTERVENE.
¶3. (U) ON JANUARY 24, ABOUT 100 WAR VETERANS DESCENDED
ON MASVINGO TOWN TO FORCE STRIKING CIVIL SERVANTS,
PRINCIPALLY TEACHERS, TO RETURN TO WORK, ACCORDING TO
“THE DAILY NEWS.” THE WAR VETS WARNED THAT ALL TEACHERS
NOT REPORTING FOR WORK WOULD BE “AUTOMATICALLY
DISMISSED.” RETIRED ARMY CAPTAIN FRANCIS ZIMUTO, KNOWN
AS BLACK JESUS, IS REPORTED TO HAVE ARRESTED THREE
STRIKING TEACHERS AND TAKEN THEM TO A POLICE STATION.
THE POLICE RELEASED THEM LATER THAT DAY. THE CAMPAIGN
APPEARS TO HAVE WORKED AS NEARLY ALL THE TEACHERS IN
MASVINGO SUBSEQUENTLY REPORTED FOR WORK.
¶4. (U) ON JANUARY 25, WAR VETERANS INVADED THE VICTORIA
FALLS TOWN COUNCIL OFFICES AND FORCED ITS WORKERS TO
LEAVE. THE COUNCIL OFFICE BUILDING ALSO HOUSES A NUMBER
OF TOUR OPERATORS, WHO WERE FORCED TO CLOSE DOWN. THE
VETS REPORTEDLY ACCUSED THE COUNCIL OF SYMPATHIZING WITH
THE OPPOSITION MDC. PRESS REPORTS INDICATED SAID THAT
ZANU-PF WAS ANGRY THAT THREE TOWN COUNCILLORS HAD
RECENTLY DEFECTED TO THE MDC, AND THAT IT SENT THE WAR
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 04 HARARE 00537 261024Z
VETERANS IN TO RETALIATE. IN MID-JANUARY, WAR VETS
INVADED ANOTHER MATABELELAND COUNCIL IN PLUMTREE TO
PROTEST ITS COMPOSITION. THE MATABELELAND SOUTH
GOVERNOR, STEPHEN NKOMO, LATER SUSPENDED EIGHT OFFICIALS
ON THE COUNCIL.
¶5. (C) COMMENT: THE RECENT WAVE OF WAR VETERANS ACTIONS
IN URBAN AND MATABELELAND AREAS–OPPOSITION STRONGHOLDS-
-INDICATES THAT ZANU-PF HAS NOT WRITTEN THESE AREAS OFF
AS PRESUMED, AND THAT IT MAY EXTEND ITS INTIMIDATION
CAMPAIGN TO INCLUDE THESE AREAS IN THE RUN-UP TO THE
EARLY 2002 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. THE RULING PARTY HAS
A LOT OF GROUND TO COVER BEFORE THE ELECTION. WE CAN
EXPECT IT TO USE ITS “WAR VETERAN” SHOCK TROOPS MORE
FREQUENTLY OVER THE NEXT YEAR IN WAYS THAT ARE DIFFICULT
FOR THE STATUTORY SECURITY FORCES TO DO, I.E. TO REIN IN
WAYWARD LOCAL GOVERNMENT STRUCTURES AND TO INTIMIDATE
TRADITIONAL OPPOSITION SUPPORTERS, SUCH AS TEACHERS,
URBANITES, AND THE INDEPENDENT MEDIA. END COMMENT.
IRVING
CONFIDENTIAL
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