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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 000652 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/S FOR G. GARLAND 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS 
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PHUM KDEM ZI
SUBJECT: VIOLENCE CONTINUES IN AREAS; ACCESS TO MEDICAL 
CARE DENIED 
 
REF: HARARE 606 
 
Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGee for reason 1.4(d). 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (C)  While the prevalence of violence in Zimbabwe has 
fallen since the June 27 one-man runoff election, violence 
against MDC members and leaders continues, particularly in 
some rural areas, and victims continue to experience 
significant and growing delays accessing medical treatment. 
Because of this delay - an average of 19 days in July for 
victims living outside Harare - and the ongoing ban on NGOs' 
field activities, it is difficult to assess the real-time 
occurrence of violence.  An independent NGO, Counseling 
Services Unit (CSU), has confirmed 154 deaths ince the March 
29 election.  The Movement for Deocratic Change (MDC) 
believes hundreds more have ied but are not included in 
these confirmed numbrs because local authorities have not 
been allowd to conduct autopsies or write the true cause of 
death on death certificates.  In recent weeks, prss reports 
of rape have grabbed headlines and there are verified cases, 
including gang rape by soliers, but Zimbabweans who track 
violence believerape has not been widespread and systematic, 
 Whle a cessation of violence was one of the MDC's 
pre-conditions for talks between the MDC and ZANU-PF, we 
believe violence, albeit at a reduced level, is ongoing. 
This may be in part because of absence of effective central 
government control in rural areas.  END SUMMARY. 
 
----------------------------- 
Ongoing violence violates MOU 
----------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U)  On July 21, Robert Mugabe of ZANU-PF and the leaders 
of both MDC factions, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, 
signed a Memorandum of Understand (MOU) laying out guidelines 
for talks to resolve the ongoing political crisis in 
Zimbabwe.  In the MOU, "security of persons and prevention of 
violence" is one of the main topics.  In addition, they 
agreed that, as an interim measure, "(a) Each Party will 
issue a statement condemning the promotion and use of 
violence and call for peace in the country and shall take all 
measures necessary to ensure that the structures and 
institutions it controls are not engaged in the perpetration 
of violence. (b) The Parties are committed to ensuring that 
the law is fairly and justly applied to all persons 
irrespective of political affiliation. (c) The parties will 
take all necessary measures to eliminate all forms of 
political violence, including by non-state actors, and to 
ensure the security of persons and property. (d) The Parties 
agree that, in the interim, they will work together to ensure 
the safety of any displaced persons and their safe return 
home and that humanitarian and social welfare organizations 
are enabled to render such assistance as might be required." 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
Violence reduced, but still above pre-election levels 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) CSU is a local NGO that treats victims and tracks 
statistics according to strict verification criteria.  Before 
the March 29 elections, CSU medical staff saw an average of 
60 violence victims per week.  At the peak of violence in May 
and June, they saw 100 per day.  Since June 27, they continue 
to see about 60 per day -- thirty times the number before the 
elections.  As of July 19, they had treated 675 new cases in 
July, but only 54 were actually injured in July.  In June, 
the severity of injury decreased from May.  However, in July 
 
HARARE 00000652  002 OF 003 
 
 
the prevalence of severe and life threatening cases rose -- 
possibly because of the increased delay in accessing medical 
care.  In June, for injuries occurring outside Harare, the 
average delay was 14 days; the delay grew to 19 days in July. 
 (NOTE:  A delay for victims who are beaten on the buttocks, 
a common occurrence, is significant; the wounds often close 
and become infected.  If the infection spreads, it can lead 
to serious kidney damage.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶4.  (C) CSU reported a total of 154 deaths between March 29 
and July 19, and MDC data claims a confirmed total of 162 
deaths between March 29 and July 29.  They report that while 
31 have died since the June 27 election, most of these were 
from injuries inflicted before June 27.  In some areas, 
hospital officials have reportedly been threatened if they 
report the true cause of death on the death certificate. 
Because these deaths and their cause cannot be confirmed, 
they are not included in statistics published by either CSU 
or MDC.  (NOTE: CSU's and MDC's confirmed numbers differ 
because CSU's standards of confirmation are more stringent 
than those of the MDC. CSU requires first-hand medical 
verification.  END NOTE.)  Additionally, MDC Welfare 
Secretary Kerry Kay, in a briefing with diplomats on July 22, 
said police had told the MDC that at least 350-400 had been 
killed during this approximate time period, but they were 
buried quickly and without witnesses. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) MDC also reported on July 29 that at least five 
women had been raped since June 27, including one who was 
raped 18 different times.  Some rapes have occurred at 
militia bases by both youth militia and Zimbabwean military. 
CSU has treated some, but very few, rape victims.  (NOTE: 
Rape is a highly sensitive subject culturally, and is 
severely under-reported. END NOTE.)  While some of these 
incidents have received extensive coverage, Zimbabweans who 
track violence have told us that rape is neither systematic 
nor widespread. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
Paying goats to atone for political sins 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) While violence appears to have subsided there are 
still pockets of ongoing violence directed at the MDC.  In 
her July 22 briefing, Kay reported that MDC believed 55 
ZANU-PF bases were still operational in Manicaland and 
Masvingo provinces.  These bases are being used by military 
officials and/or ZANU-PF youths to interrogate and punish 
returning MDC supporters.  In some villages, victims have 
been forced to pay fines in cash or livestock before they are 
allowed to return home.  One civil society leader's parents 
were forced to give one of their best cows to ZANU-PF 
militias who said their son was "causing a lot of trouble." 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Buhera in Manicaland province and Gokwe in Midlands 
province continue to be two of the "hottest" areas in 
Zimbabwe for violence and are "no go" areas for the MDC. 
Several villages in Buhera and Gokwe have reportedly held 
ZANU-PF "celebration" rallies where MDC supporters have been 
beaten and subsequently denied access to medical care.  Two 
MDC activists were reportedly abducted at gunpoint in Buhera 
on July 24 by Colonel Morgan Muzilikazi.  The activists were 
attempting to transport 17 victims - who had been beaten by 
ZANU-PF thugs on July 17 - to Mutare for medical attention. 
The vehicle was taken by force and the 17 injured people are 
still in Buhera and have not received medical attention.  In 
Gokwe, at least a dozen MDC members were beaten and then 
denied treatment at the local hospital.  MDC spent days 
organizing vehicles to retrieve the victims and bring them to 
Harare for attention. 
 
 
HARARE 00000652  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶8.  (SBU) On Saturday, July 19, two days before the MOU was 
signed, ZANU-PF militia seriously beat two MDC youths with 
sticks at Chikoko militia base in Mudzi in Mashonaland East 
province.  The youths were held overnight, beaten again and 
then released.  The youths were only able to receive 
treatment in Harare on July 29.  Also in Mudzi, a policeman, 
Kingsley Muteta, was beaten by twelve ZANU-PF youths on July 
17; he died in Harare on July 27 from his injuries.  Muteta 
was in Mudzi to visit his mother.  He confronted the militia 
after learning that she had been beaten while attending his 
MDC-affiliated brother-in-law's funeral.  His brother-in-law 
had died from injuries sustained by the militia. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶9.  (C)  The ongoing violence could be seen as demonstrating 
that Mugabe and ZANU-PF are deliberately continuing the 
campaign of violence and intimidation in rural areas, that 
they cannot control the violence in rural areas, or, most 
likely, a combination of both.  With cessation of violence an 
agreed-upon condition for ZANU-PF-MDC negotiations 
continuation of talks, it is unclear how much the MDC will be 
willing to tolerate.  We will continue to monitor and gather 
information on violence.  However, with little international 
presence in rural areas, and the significant delays accessing 
medical care, it is difficult to know what is happening in 
real time across the country.  END COMMENT. 
 
MCGEE