ZIDERA exposes lack of patriotism among Mugabe’s lieutenants

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

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

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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