VZCZCXRO3371
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0765/01 2461627
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 021627Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3366
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2250
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2370
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0899
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1647
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 2003
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2424
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4856
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1519
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 000765 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/S FOR G. GARLAND 
DRL FOR N. WILETT 
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 
DCHA/AA FOR MIKE HESS 
AFR/AA FOR KATE ALMQUIST AND FRANKLIN MOORE 
AFR/SA FOR ELOKEN, LDOBBINS, JKOLE 
DCHA/OFDA FOR KLUU, ACONVERY, TDENYSENKO, LMTHOMAS 
DCHA/FFP FOR JBORNS, JDWORKEN, LPETERSON, ASINK 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC EAID KDEM PGOV PHUM PREL ZI
SUBJECT: GOZ LIFTS NGO BAN 
 
REF: A. A. HARARE 754 
     ¶B. B. HARARE 503 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (SBU)  On August 29, the Ministry of Public Service, 
Labor, and Social Welfare finally lifted the ban on 
non-governmental organizations' (NGOs) and private voluntary 
organizations' (PVOs') field operations that the GOZ had 
imposed on June 4, 2008 (ref B).  This comes after weeks of 
efforts by donors, NGOs, and the MDC to push the Zimbabwean 
Government (GOZ) to lift the ban which denied the 
organizations access to 1.3 million at-risk Zimbabweans.  The 
GOZ initiated the ban when it accused the NGOs/PVOs of using 
food as a political tool during the run up to the June 27 
presidential run-off election.  NGOs are now scrambling to 
ramp up their operations and to supply the GOZ with a 
required report on their operations by the end of September, 
¶2008.  END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
Ban lifted, information required by GOZ 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) The Secretary for the Ministry of Public Service, 
Labor and Social Welfare, Lancaster Museka, issued a 
statement on Friday August 29 announcing that the suspension 
of all PVO/NGOs registered under PVO Act Chapter 17:05 was 
immediately lifted, allowing operations to continue in: (1) 
humanitarian assistance, food aid, relief, recovery and 
development, (2) family and child care protection, (3) care 
and protection of older persons, (4) rights and empowerment 
of people with disabilities, and (5) HIV and AIDS treatment, 
care, and related support services. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Museka and Stanley Mishi, head of the Department of 
Social Services (DSS) within the Ministry, hosted a 
"clarification" meeting on September 1 for NGOs and UN 
agencies.  Museka and Mishi explained that all NGOs would be 
required to provide information on a new form called a 
"Monitoring and Evaluation Instrument".  Mishi declared that 
this reporting requirement was not new, but had been laid out 
in the NGO Operational Guidelines of 2003. (NOTE.  As the 
meeting opened, they demanded that everyone from an 
organization registered as a "trust" and anyone not an 
"NGO/PVO or UN agency" leave.  While some left, 
representatives from USAID, the French embassy, the European 
Community Humanitarian Organization (ECHO), and the Dutch and 
Swiss development agencies stayed.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶4. (SBU) The GOZ officials said the reporting form would be 
issued to NGOs in the coming weeks and must be returned to 
the Ministry within two weeks thereafter.  NGOs will need to 
provide for June 2007-June 2008: contact details, a 
"corporate governance section" that includes names of board 
members and officers, registration objectives, implementation 
areas, funding details (e.g. sources, amounts), sub-grantees, 
description of program activities and developmental programs, 
and program details.  For this period, NGOs must also provide 
information on food and non-food items, including how much 
they distributed, where, and where it was sourced.  Museka 
and Mishi also asked for a July-December 2008 food 
distribution plan.  All this information must be signed by 
 
HARARE 00000765  002 OF 003 
 
 
the organization director and would carry the "force of the 
law" if it is found untrue, Mishi said.  In addition to the 
requested information, Museka and Mishi directed NGOs to 
display registration certificates in all offices and to 
provide a copy to local and national authorities.  They 
emphasized that organizations not complying with GOZ 
directives could face deregistration. 
 
--------------------------------- 
"Military involvement is history" 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU)  The 2003 Guidelines state that NGOs should 
"complement GOZ efforts", "not create parallel structures", 
and "deliver through local governance structures".  When 
asked whether the Joint Operations Command had in fact in the 
past constituted a "parallel structure" for the delivery of 
humanitarian assistance, Mishi said military involvement was 
"history".  (NOTE: The JOC is a group of security-related 
ZANU-PF leaders that wield significant control over politics 
and security throughout the country.  It has been frequently 
accused of facilitating the distribution of food aid along 
political lines.  END NOTE.)  Museka and Mishi said local 
community committees should agree on who should receive food 
and that Members of Parliament, chiefs, and local councilors 
should not be included in the committee.  These officials 
should only be approached by the committee to mediate 
local-level disputes.  Mishi further explained in no 
uncertain terms that "able bodied people should not receive 
food handouts", singling out World Food Program's Vulnerable 
Group Feeding program (COMMENT: It is unclear who would 
determine who is and isn't "able bodied", and how food 
distribution would be affected by this determination.  END 
COMMENT.) 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
Nonetheless, The Herald levels new accusations against NGOs 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
¶6. (U) Throughout the nearly three-month ban, GOZ officials 
have said that NGOs were "dabbling in politics" in their food 
distribution.  In announcing the lifting of the ban on August 
29, the government mouthpiece "The Herald" leveled two new 
accusations against NGOs as an explanation of the ban.  The 
Herald reported that "NGOs were accused of asking 
unsuspecting villagers to surrender their national identity 
cards before the March elections, but did not return them, 
effectively depriving them of their right to vote".  The 
Herald also claimed some NGOs threatened to "stop food 
distribution" in the event of a ZANU-PF victory. 
 
----------------------- 
NGOs ramp up activities 
----------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) After the lifting of the ban on Friday, C-SAFE (a 
consortium of CARE, World Vision, and Catholic Relief 
Services), the major supplier of U.S.-provided food 
assistance to Zimbabwe, began dispatching food over the 
weekend.  C-SAFE director Eddie Brown told us he believed he 
had enough food to meet or exceed his September distribution 
targets.  Additionally, he said C-SAFE was already working to 
mobilize a "massive scale-up" in terms of logistical 
arrangements and re-engaging communities throughout the 
country.  C-SAFE had already organized meetings with 
 
HARARE 00000765  003 OF 003 
 
 
governors and other officials, and believed it would be 
received positively as large-scale food distribution ramps 
up. 
 
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COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  The lifting of the humanitarian assistance ban is 
long overdue, and comes after repeated diplomatic and NGO 
requests.  The GOZ has, however, left itself an opening to 
shut down certain NGOs or activities as they review the 
documents NGOs must submit by the end of September.  And 
although the GOZ has acted, many NGOs fear local ZANU-PF 
officials and war veterans will obstruct their efforts.  We 
are encouraged by the lifting of the ban but will watch 
cautiously to see if unfettered humanitarian access becomes a 
fact. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) The June 4 ban issued by Nicholas Goche, Minister 
of Public Service, Labor, and Social Welfare, referred 
specifically to NGOs engaged in humanitarian assistance. 
Nevertheless, there is concern among some NGOs that the newly 
enforced requirements to submit information could be used to 
impede the operations of NGOs operating in the area of 
democracy and governance if the GOZ and local officials 
disapprove of their work and goals.  We will monitor this 
situation closely.  END COMMENT. 
WARREN