The Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act had exposed the lack of patriotism among President Robert Mugabe’s lieutenants as their children were studying in London, Sydney, New York and elsewhere while children of Zimbabwe’s long-suffering tax payers were being sent to the Border Gezi Training Centre before descending on the innocent populace to mete out violence on their own parents.
This was said by the Daily News in an editorial which queried the patriotism of Zimbabwe’s political elite soon after the signing of the act which imposed sanctions on Mugabe’s lieutenants.
There were increasing calls that the sanctions should also apply to the children and spouses of the designated politicians.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 02HARARE323, MEDIA REACTION ZDERA; HARARE
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
061251Z Feb 02
UNCLASSIFIED PTO5251
PAGE 01 HARARE 00323 061652Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 AID-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00 EB-00 EUR-00
UTED-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 L-00
AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01 PA-00 PM-00
PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SS-00 STR-00 TRSE-00
T-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 G-00 SAS-00
/007W
——————62F208 061653Z /29
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0883
INFO NSC WASHDC
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK
AMEMBASSY GABORONE
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
AMEMBASSY LONDON
UNCLAS HARARE 000323
SIPDIS
AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT, AF/RA,
INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER
E.O. 12958: N/A
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ZDERA; HARARE
¶1. UNDER HEADLINE “WHERE IS THE PATRIOTISM OF THE
ZANU PF LEADERSHIP?” THE INDEPENDENT DAILY “THE DAILY
NEWS” DEDICATED ITS FEBRUARY 6 EDITORIAL TO A WARNING
THAT THE CHILDREN OF GOVERNMENT MINISTERS AND
OFFICIALS STUDYING ABROAD COULD, BE AFFECTED BY
ASPECTS OF THE ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC
RECOVERY BILL. EXCERPTS FOLLOW:
¶2. “IN PRINCIPLE, ANY SUGGESTION THAT PUNISHMENT
PRESCRIBED FOR THE SINS COMMITTED BY A PARENT SHOULD
BE VISITED ON THE CHILD SHOULD BE MORALLY REPUGNANT.
THE PUNITIVE MEASURES ENVISAGED IN THE ZIMBABWE
DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY (ACT)(ZDERA) RECENTLY
PASSED BY THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
(SIC) AS PART OF THE SANCTIONS TARGETING TOP
ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, WILL UNFORTUNATELY
AFFECT THEIR CHILDREN. A NUMBER OF GOVERNMENT
MINISTERS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS HAVING CHILDREN WHO
ARE ATTENDING EITHER SCHOOL OR UNIVERSITY OVERSEAS,
WHOSE WELFARE WILL OBVIOUSLY BE AFFECTED IN NO SMALL
MEASURE BY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SMART SANCTIONS
AGAINST THE TARGETED GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.
¶3. “.IN ANY CASE, IF OUR FORMER COLONIAL MASTERS
ARE AS TERRIBLE AS PRESIDENT MUGABE WOULD HAVE VOTERS
BELIEVE, THEN ALL HIS LIEUTENANTS MUST SURELY SING
FROM THE SAME HYMN SHEET. IT IS PARTICULARLY CHEEKY
THAT WHILE THEY SEND THEIR OWN CHILDREN TO FINE
SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN LONDON, SYDNEY,
NEW YORK AND ELSEWHERE, THEY REDUCE THE CHILDREN OF
ZIMBABWE’S LONG-SUFFERING TAXPAYERS TO THE STATUS OF
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 03 HARARE 00323 061652Z
THE NOW UBIQUITOUS “GREEN BOMBERS” GRADUATING FROM
THE BORDER GEZI TRAINING CENTER BEFORE DESCENDING ON
THE INNOCENT POPULACE TO METE OUT VIOLENCE ON THEIR
OWN PARENTS.”
SULLIVAN
UNCLASSIFIED
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