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

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 001534 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/S FOR B. NEULING 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR C. COURVILLE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2010 
TAGS: ELAB ASEC PHUM SOCI PGOV ECON ZI ZCTU
SUBJECT: TRADE UNION PROTESTS AND ARRESTS 
 
REF: A) HARARE 1527 B) HARARE 981 C) HARARE 703 D) 
     HARARE 671 E) HARARE 617 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Christopher Dell under Section 1.4 b/d 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (C) The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) staged 
protests in six major cities across Zimbabwe on November 8, 
ending with the delivery of a petition to the Minister of 
Finance on the country's economic meltdown.  At least 120 
people ZCTU activists, including ZCTU President Lovermore 
Matombo and General Secretary Wellington Chibebe, were 
arrested as a result of the demonstrations.  ZCTU 
Spokesperson Mlamleli Sibanda declared the action a success. 
National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) leader Lovemore 
Madhuku and others arrested in connection with the NCA's 
November 5 marches remain incarcerated.  End Summary. 
 
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Harare Protest Makes an Impact 
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¶2. (C) The ZCTU had planned to stage protests in Harare, 
Bulawayo, Mutare, Gweru, Masvingo, and Chinhoyi on November 
¶8.  The police disrupted the protest in Harare, which ZCTU 
claimed included 500 people.  Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human 
Rights (ZLHR) representative Irene Petras told PolOff on 
November 8 that police had arrested 120 ZCTU activists in 
Harare, with 116 still in police custody on November 9, 
including General Secretary Wellington Chibebe and President 
Lovemore Matombo.  In a circular distributed on November 9, 
the labor union noted unconfirmed reports that Chibebe and 
others had been tortured the previous night.  (Post has since 
confirmed with ZCTU lawyers that Chibebe has so far not been 
physically abused in custody.) 
 
¶3. (C) Despite the arrests, Sibanda stated that the 
protestors had achieved their main objective and had 
delivered a petition to the Ministry of Finance.  The 
petition demanded a minimum wage of at least Z$9.5 million 
(the Poverty Datum Line), a maximum of a 30 percent income 
tax, free anti-retro-viral drugs (ARVs), an improvement in 
fuel availability, and protection of jobs by not allowing 
cheap, substandard Chinese goods into Zimbabwe. 
 
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Other Protests Less Successful 
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¶4. (C) Sibanda claimed the protests in Bulawayo and Mutare 
had each drawn 200 people.  However, suspended Mutare mayor 
M.T. Kagurabadza and local Bulawayo businessman Jyotirdhar 
Laxmidas independently told PolOff that the police had 
prevented the marches in both cities by arresting key 
individuals before the protests started.  Police also 
reportedly cordoned off areas in Gweru, Chinhoyi, and 
Masvingo to prevent the protests in those cities from going 
forward. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) For its part, the state media acknowledged the 
protests but downplayed their significance.  It reported the 
arrest of the leadership, which it claimed was acting without 
the concurrence of ZCTU's constituent unions, and urged the 
public to cooperate with police against "disruptive" and 
"anti-Zimbabwe" elements. 
 
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Other Developments 
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¶6. (C) The National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) put out a 
press statement on November 9 stating that NCA,s Chairman 
Lovemore Madhuku was still being detained at Stodart Police 
Station in the Mbare high-density suburb of Harare.  The 
statement went on to say that Chitungwiza Mayor Mischeck 
Shoko and NCA Field Officer for Manicaland Bernard Dube were 
arrested on November 9. 
 
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Comment 
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¶7. (C) Unlike the NCA protests over the weekend, the police 
were ready for the ZCTU on November 8.  The greater vigilance 
of the police likely reflects growing GOZ concern at a more 
visible opposition.  However, if the pace of protests 
continues to increase -- with more planned actions for this 
coming week (Ref A) -- the loyalty and resolve of the police 
may be further tested. 
DELL