VZCZCXRO6009
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSA #0454 0651407
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 051407Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3687
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2193
RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 5361
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 9622
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS PRETORIA 000454 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR AF/S S. HILL 
DEPT PASS TO USAID/AFR E. LOKEN 
NSC FOR AF DIRECTOR B. LEO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KDEM ZI SF
SUBJECT: SADC-PF DENIED ACCREDIDATION TO OBSERVE ZIMBABWE 
ELECTIONS 
 
REF: A. STATE 018257 
 
     ¶B. PRETORIA 0375 
 
¶1. (SBU) The Government of Zimbabwe has refused to accredit 
the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) as observers for the 
March 29 Zimbabwe elections.  In an 04 March letter to 
Pretoria-based regional USAID Director, SADC-PF Secretary 
General Kasuka Mutukwa reported that the Government of 
Zimbabwe would only allow SADC-PF to observe the election as 
part of the broader SADC Observer Mission, "not in its own 
right as the SADC Parliamentary Forum" (letter emailed to 
AF/S, Embassies Windhoek and Harare). 
 
¶2. (SBU) As a matter of policy, SADC-PF will only observe 
elections as a separate entity, according to SADC-PF 
Secretary General Mutukwa.  SADC-PF took this same position 
 
SIPDIS 
in 2005, when the Government of Zimbabwe denied SADC-PF 
accreditation.  (NOTE: SADC-PF observed the 2000 and 2002 
Zimbabwe elections as a separate entity.  Its report on the 
2002 presidential election concluded that "the climate of 
insecurity obtaining in Zimbabwe since the 2000 parliamentary 
elections was such that the electoral process could not be 
said to adequately comply with the Norms and Standards for 
Elections in the SADC region."  END NOTE.) 
 
¶3. (SBU) COMMENT:  The refusal to allow SADC-PF to observe 
the Zimbabwe elections is disappointing, albeit predictable. 
SADC-PF is one of the few regional organizations that has 
proven to be generally independent and objective in its 
election observation missions.  Pro-democracy South African 
civil society organizations strongly suspect they would 
suffer the same fate as SADC-PF, and thus plan to send 
"informal observers" during the election period (ref B). 
Post will continue to follow developments with the civil 
society informal observers, as well as the South African 
Government, Pan-African Parliament, African National 
Congress, and other possible election observation 
delegations.  With such a short time remaining before 
election date, it is difficult to imagine that any outside 
observation delegation would be able to provide a complete 
and independent assessment of the election.  END COMMENT. 
BOST