This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 000470 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR J. FRAZER 
LONDON FOR C. GURNEY 
PARIS FOR C. NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR T. PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAGR PGOV ZI
SUBJECT: LAND AUDIT:  DISAVOWED DOCUMENT ACKNOWLEDGES 
CORRUPTION 
 
REF: LAND AUDIT REPORT FAXED TO AF/S 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Summary.  Long plagued by accusations of chaos and 
official corruption in its Land Reform and Resettlement 
Program (LRRP), the GOZ has promised since last September a 
land audit to investigate program implementation.  Various 
other unofficial lists purporting to document this official 
corruption have been circulated by interested parties, 
including the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) and Justice for 
Agriculture (JAG).  Despite GOZ assurances that it was 
looking into such accusations, no official report has ever 
been released.  However, three documents distributed as 
"leaked" copies of the official interim report on the land 
audit (ref) have been making the rounds of the diplomatic 
community and the international press.  Now that newspapers 
have published excerpts from the "leaked" report, one 
GOZ-linked newspaper has claimed that an official report does 
not exist.  In our view, the report is likely genuine, 
although unlikely to be officially acknowledged.  Leaking of 
the document, however, has had the useful effect of exposing 
at least some of the shenanigans and putting more pressure on 
Zanu-PF to correct the abuses.  End summary. 
 
--------------------- 
Report?  What Report? 
--------------------- 
¶2. (SBU)  In addition to recent summaries appearing in the 
newsletter "Africa Confidential" and the Financial Times, a 
report on the official LRRP land audit appeared in the 
pro-Zanu-PF weekly the Sunday Mirror.  However, the following 
week (March 2, 2003), the Sunday Mirror headlined, "Govt 
Denies Existence of Land Audit Report."  In the text of the 
article, the denial continues (begin text):  "There is no 
such report, and whatever report there is, is merely an 
invention of the enemies of the State," a senior government 
official said... He strongly castigated the Sunday Mirror for 
having reproduced the "Africa Confidential" report, which 
broke the story in its February 21 issue.  "It was an act of 
mischief on your (the Sunday Mirror's) part to have 
reproduced that story, for there was definitely no report to 
leak since it does not exist," the official reprimanded. (End 
text.) 
 
-------------------- 
Detailing the Abuses 
-------------------- 
¶3. (SBU)  The first of the three documents details abuses 
within both the Ministry of Lands and local government bodies 
in implementing LRRP, among them: 
-- failure of the Ministry to release state land for 
resettlement 
-- failure of the Ministry of Lands to delist some wrongfully 
acquired farms despite clear administrative guidelines, 
including agro-industrial farms, plantations, export 
production zones, and properties protected by Bilateral 
Investment Treaties (BITs) 
-- failure of the Ministry to implement the "one man one 
farm" policy, both for white and indigenous farmers 
-- failure of the Ministry  to implement maximum farm sizes 
for allocations of A2 plots, as delineated within each 
agro-ecological region 
-- failure of the Ministry to act on LA3 Forms (forms by 
which a property owner subdivides his own land and offers 
land in excess of the maximum farm size to the GOZ for 
resettlement) 
-- allocation of separate A2 plots to both spouses of a 
married couple "contrary to policy" 
-- allocation of multiple A2 plots to some 
politically-connected beneficiaries 
-- re-designation of A1, or small-scale de-congestion plots, 
to A2, or large-scale commercial plots 
-- issuance of "Certificates of No Present Interest" to 
indigenous buyers (and thus permission to purchase) for farms 
which have already been formally resettled 
-- failure of the Ministry to promptly assess amount of 
compensation payable for improvements on acquired farms 
-- bad-faith actions of local District Land Committees in 
targeting specific inappropriate properties (including hotels 
and guest houses) for the benefit of "local political 
heavyweights" 
-- actions of some local politicians in interfering with 
District Land Committees and allocating land based on their 
own preferences 
 
¶4. (SBU)  The first document also details inadequacies in the 
GOZ's implementation of support for the LRRP, including: 
-- crop and seed input schemes 
-- fertilizer supply schemes 
-- transport for crop inputs 
-- tillage services 
-- livestock development schemes ("heifer loan scheme") 
-- irrigation equipment rehabilitation 
-- and borehole (well) drilling for both potable water and 
irrigation purposes 
 
The lack of coherent policy regarding conservancies is 
briefly highlighted, and one paragraph addresses the "Farm 
Workers Plight," noting that many districts do not have 
statistics on the number of farm workers and their current 
activities or whereabouts.  The impetus behind this concern 
is revealed, however, in the final sentence:  "...these farm 
workers were not only disrupting the operations of A2 farmers 
but have also been reported to be poaching and cutting down 
trees in certain areas." 
 
¶5. (SBU)  The Interim Report closes with a list of 
recommendations and advice for getting the LRRP back on 
track.  The recommendations include, 
 
-- "Seed houses should be encouraged to produce adequate seed 
through the regular and timeous review of seed prices." 
-- "Fertiliser producers should be encouraged to produce 
adequate quantities through the regular and timeous review of 
fertiliser prices." 
 
In conclusion, the report cites "the successful A1 Model of 
resettlement," while criticizing the  shortcomings in the A2 
model such as "multiple allocation of plots to certain 
individuals and slow uptake."  The conclusion acknowledges 
"the current disgruntled feeling among the masses who 
expressed their disappointment at the lack of transparency in 
the implementation of the (LRRP)," and exhorts the GOZ to 
"quickly re-align" the program to "equitably redistribute the 
land in Zimbabwe and empower the indigenous people through 
land ownership." 
 
---------------------------- 
Addendum -- or Hall of Shame 
---------------------------- 
¶6. (SBU)  The second document, the Addendum, names names. 
Several Zanu-PF stalwarts are mentioned, including 
pro-Zanu-PF Mutumwa Mawere and Ibo Mandaza, both of whom have 
"purchased" several already resettled farms.  The Addendum 
states that Dr. Mandaza purchased five separate farms 
totaling over 7,500 hectares, and "has since taken the 
settled families to court in an attempt to evict them from 
the properties."  War veterans Chris Pasipamire (currently 
pursuing a PhD in England) and Mike Moyo are "violently 
evicting 36 settlers... some (of whom) have been 
assaulted..."  The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs 
Abednico Ncube is reportedly behind the attempt to "acquire" 
two established hotels.  Mashonaland Central Governor E. 
Manyika (sic) is identified for allocating A2 farms above 350 
hectares -- some, such as the 1500 hectare farm allocated to 
Minister of Mines and Mining Chindori-Chininga, well above 
the 200 hectare maximum farm size -- thus preventing greater 
numbers of indigenous people from benefiting.  Minister for 
Small and Medium Enterprises Development Sithembisu Nyoni 
reportedly claimed a highly-developed citrus, poultry and 
livestock farm as an A2 allocation directly from Harare -- 
despite the fact that the farm was earmarked at the local 
level for youths from the National Service training program 
as an "agricultural skills training center." 
 
¶7. (SBU)  The most interesting part of the addendum lists 
those who have taken multiple farms.  A Zanu-PF Who's Who 
list, some of the beneficiaries of multiple farms include: 
-- Minister Ignatius Chombo, MP J. Gumbo, Governor Josiah 
Hungwe, Brig. Kanhanga, Minister Elliot Manyika, Mutumwa 
Mawere, Minister and Mrs. Kembo Mohadi, Sabina Mugabe, 
Boniface Shamu, ZRP Spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena (2 farms 
each); 
-- MP Kasukuwere, Minister Jonathan Moyo, Governor Obert 
Mpofu, Air Marshall Perence Shiri (3 farms each); 
-- MP S. Mahofa (four farms); 
-- Governor P. Chanetsa (four farms plus one allocated to his 
spouse); and 
-- C. Chingosho (seven farms). 
 
The addendum notes that "The list is not exhaustive as the 
people interviewed were scared to reveal any information 
least (sic) they might be victimised by the multiple farm 
owners who seem to have their loyalists within the various 
land committees." 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
GOZ Expresses Shocked Surprise -- and Little Will to Act 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
¶8. (SBU)  The third document comprises minutes of a meeting 
dated Monday December 9. The Chairman of the meeting, Vice 
President Msika, states his intention to "reappraise 
everybody present on the developments taking place in the 
LRRP."  He immediately "expressed his utter dismay at the 
chaotic condition on the ground which contradicted His 
Excellency's pronouncements on the LRRP..."  After reviewing 
the Interim Report, the committee suggested action which 
paralleled the suggestions of the Report itself. 
 
¶9. (SBU)  A fourth document detailing a second, follow-up 
meeting, produced the lone strong statement:  "While 
Government should continue to proffer assistance to the 
farmers care should be exercised to prevent the setting in of 
the dependency syndrome.  Already some of the farmers 
appeared to be entirely waiting on Government for support. 
The farmers should be disabused of this misconception.  After 
all, in their applications, A2 farmers had to prove that they 
had capacity to mobilise the necessary resources. 
Furthermore, many seemed to be under the illusion that the 
farms had been allocated gratis.  A lease document was to be 
formulated spelling out the terms of payment for the 
properties." 
 
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Comment 
------- 
¶10. (SBU)  At some level, the GOZ seems to be aware of its 
unsustainable position regarding the A2 aspect of its land 
reform program.  The report paints a picture of thousands of 
expectant "settlers," many of them not even farmers, placed 
on haphazardly allocated pieces of land and waiting for the 
impecunious government to till the land and source and 
deliver all necessary inputs.  Because agriculture is so 
central to the Zimbabwean economy, the GOZ now has little 
choice but to continue pouring money into this failed scheme 
in an effort to restart the economy.  The GOZ is responsible 
for a debacle wherein local strongmen have felt free to step 
in and manipulate the process to their advantage -- resulting 
in multiple allocations to key figures, re-allocation of 
previously settled land, and allocation of land to 
non-farmers unequipped to run a productive farm. 
 
¶11. (SBU)  The public complaints of Zanu-PF activists over 
abuses in the land redistribution program at the December 
Zanu-PF conference in Chinoyi first prompted President Mugabe 
to promise a land audit.  For undertaking this initiative, 
Minister Flora Buka was reportedly sidelined and the report 
was pigeonholed until it surfaced outside Zimbabwe, leading 
to its unsourced disavowal in the GOZ press.  While it is 
impossible to state unequivocally that the leaked documents 
are genuine, much of the information contained therein is 
consistent with other publicly available information.  It is 
our view that the report is likely genuine, but that the GOZ 
will be reluctant to release it into the public domain. 
SULLIVAN