VZCZCXYZ0022
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSB #0904/01 2801402
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061402Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3533
INFO RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 5551

UNCLAS HARARE 000904 
 
SIPDIS 
AIDAC 
 
AFR/SA FOR LOKEN, DOBBINS, HIRSCH, HARMON 
OFDA/W for KLUU, ACONVERY, LMTHOMAS, TDENYSENKO 
FFP/W for JBORNS, ASINK, LPETERSEN 
PRETORIA for HHALE, PDISKIN, SMCNIVEN 
 
E.O.  12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID EAGR PREL PHUM ZI
SUBJECT:  FY09 RENEWAL OF DISASTER DECLARATION IN ZIMBABWE FOR 
COMPLEX EMERGENCY 
 
REF:  A) HARARE 0899 
B) 06 HARARE 01230 
C) 07 HARARE 00510 
D) 07 HARARE 00930 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  The humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe is deteriorating at a 
more accelerated pace than last year.  Continued Government of 
Zimbabwe (GOZ) economic mismanagement, counter-productive government 
policies, and corruption have resulted in a rapidly collapsing 
economy, and growing impoverishment of a large segment of the 
population.  The current complex humanitarian crisis has been 
compounded by political violence connected with this year's disputed 
elections and an acute shortage of cereals and other staple foods in 
country resulting in an estimated 50 percent of the population in 
need of food aid over the next eight months.  At the beginning of 
FY08, Post issued a re-declaration of disaster for the complex 
emergency and drought.  This cable serves to renew the disaster 
declaration for the complex emergency for FY09 as the economic and 
food security situations show no signs of improving in the near 
future even if there is a political settlement.  Currently, the 
political stalemate resulting from contested elections leaves 
Zimbabwe with a government that can barely function and an 
increasingly frustrated populace.  While substantial food aid and 
other humanitarian assistance were provided in FY08, continued 
humanitarian assistance from USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster 
Assistance (OFDA) will be required in FY09 to meet critical 
humanitarian needs of both urban and rural populations.  In FY08, 
USAID/OFDA provided more than USD 7 million in humanitarian 
assistance to Zimbabwe.  END SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------------ 
Humanitarian Crisis Background 
------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  Conditions for most Zimbabweans have gone from bad to worse 
throughout FY08, making day-to-day survival even more difficult than 
it was a year ago (Ref D).  Following eight consecutive years of 
economic decline, which has been characterized by hyperinflation 
(now more than 11 million percent) and high unemployment rates, 
Zimbabwe is increasingly unable to maintain the infrastructure 
necessary for agricultural production, water and sanitation 
services, and electricity.  Basic items such as soap, sugar, maize 
meal, bread, cooking oil, and meat can only be purchased on the 
black market at prices far beyond the reach of most Zimbabweans.  In 
many areas of the country, these basic items are simply unavailable. 
 Increasingly, venders are demanding hard currency as the Zimbabwe 
dollar loses its value within hours.  Following the March 29 
presidential and legislative elections in Zimbabwe, heightened 
political tension led to general insecurity and significant violence 
perpetrated on the most part by ruling party ZANU-PF forces.  The 
instability and attacks on individuals perceived to be opposition 
MDC supporters created new displacement and increased humanitarian 
needs, further eroding livelihoods and resulting in loss of housing, 
crops and livestock.  The June 4, 2008 GOZ ban on NGO humanitarian 
activities severely limited NGOs' ability to respond to these 
growing humanitarian needs until the suspension was lifted at the 
end of August. 
 
¶3.  Access to social and public services such as health, water, and 
electricity continues to decline dramatically and has substantially 
impacted negatively on the welfare of displaced urban vulnerable 
populations.  Electricity is rationed and the water and sanitation 
situation in both Bulawayo and Harare is dire.  Residents of these 
two cities often go for weeks without water, forcing them to rely on 
streams and unprotected shallow wells.  Lack of GOZ investment and 
maintenance of urban water and sewage systems has resulted in an 
increase in waterborne diseases such as dysentery and chol%UNmQ3xQde in 
the country it is highly unlikely the GOZ will be able to access 
enough foreign exchange to restore normal water, sanitation, and 
electricity to urban areas.  The GOZ's health care services are in a 
shambles.  Plagued by chronic lack of funds, critical shortages of 
medical supplies and drugs, and low wages, many health care 
professionals have left the country.  Hyper-inflation has also put 
basic health care out of reach for the most vulnerable populations. 
 
¶4.  There is currently a critical shortage of cereals and other 
staples throughout the country.  Even those with the financial 
resources required to access food are out of luck due to lack of 
availability in some areas.  Results of national crop assessments 
 
estimated that for 2008, the national average yield of maize 
production was the lowest on record for Zimbabwe and about 40 
percent of that in 2007.  The exceptionally low production for 2008 
is largely attributed to late planting due to untimely and 
inadequate delivery of agricultural inputs, poor condition of 
draught animals following the drought in 2007 and unavailability of 
fertilizer.  To make matters worse, there is a critical shortage of 
seeds and fertilizer for this year's agricultural campaign.  Unless 
farmers are able to access these agricultural inputs by November 15, 
which is highly doubtful, yields for 2009-2010 will again be low. 
(REF A) 
 
¶5.  The GOZ was projected to import 800,000 MT of cereals through 
the government's Grain Marketing Board (GMB) this year.  To date, 
only 250,000 MT have arrived in country according to FAO.  WFP has 
advised that it is highly unlikely the government will be able to 
import the remaining 550,000 MT.  Furthermore, the GOZ's Grain 
Marketing Board has a statutory monopoly on all imported grains and 
it is illegal for the private sector to import cereals.  Efforts by 
NGOs/WFP can help, but not fully replace the system nor fill the 
cereal gap.  Due to the national shortage of cash, barter has become 
common in rural areas, although the terms of trade for livestock and 
maize are declining dramatically in some areas of the country. 
Coping mechanisms include reducing number of meals, increased 
reliance on wild fruits, and selling off assets - primarily 
livestock.  Divestment of too many or all livestock will only knock 
households further back resulting in higher numbers in need of 
humanitarian assistance next year.  In urban areas, tightly 
restricted withdrawals of cash from banks add to the difficult 
access to the little food that is available. 
 
----------------------------------- 
USG Humanitarian Assistance in FY08 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  Food Security, Agriculture, and Livelihoods: In FY08, USAID/OFDA 
contributed approximately USD 2.2 million through C-SAFE, FAO, The 
Joint Initiative (Mercy Corps), and Holistic Management to provide 
agriculture, livelihood, and food security assistance.  These 
programs aim to improve food security for individuals living in 
drought prone and marginal lands through the construction and 
rehabilitation of water catchment structures, training in 
conservation farming, and improvement of range management and 
livestock health.  The Joint Initiative program is targeting 
thousands of Zimbabwe's most vulnerable populations in urban 
settings with food, agriculture, and livelihood assistance.  In 
addition, in FY08, USAID/FFP contributed 151,500 MT of PL-480 Title 
II emergency food assistance valued at more than USD 176 million to 
World Food Program and C-SAFE.  The emergency food aid program 
targeting displaced populations, school children, the chronically 
ill, orphans, and other vulnerable people was suspended during the 
government ban on humanitarian activities, but both C-SAFE and WFP 
are back in the field and preparing to scale up large scale 
distributions by mid-October. 
 
¶7.  Mobile and Vulnerable Populations (MVP):  Assistance for 
internally displaced and vulnerable urban populations remains a 
priority concern and need.  Operation Murambatsvina (OM), which 
destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in 2005, resulted in the 
displacement of approximately 700,000 people.  Thousands of 
ex-commercial farm workers were also displaced with the fast track 
land reform program.  Random evictions and commercial farm worker 
displacements still continue. 
 
¶8.  In FY08 the MVP population increased significantly as a result 
of post-election political violence.  The wave of violence that 
swept the country following the March 29 elections resulted in an 
estimated additional 30,000 displaced people.  Thousands of homes 
have been destroyed and crops and livestock burned.  The level of 
rural destitution and fear has risen markedly over the past year and 
people are still afraid to return home.  In FY08, USAID/OFDA 
provided approximately USD 950,000 to IOM to help meet increased 
needs for mobile and vulnerable urban populations. 
 
¶9.  Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene:  As noted above, the water and 
sanitation situation in country continues to deteriorate.  Soap has 
become a luxury item for a majority of the urban and rural poor.  In 
FY08, USAID/OFDA provided OXFAM/UK and World Vision with over USD 4 
million to implement water, sanitation, and hygiene programs as well 
as distribute emergency hygiene supplies (including soap) in 
Bulawayo, Harare, and Masvingo Provinces.  The OXFAM program is 
providing basic hygiene items to vulnerable households and 
conducting public health awareness activities.  The World Vision 
program is providing rooftop catchments structures to schools, 
clinics, and vulnerable households in Bulawayo in addition to 
protecting shallow household wells. 
 
 
------------ 
Coordination 
------------ 
 
¶10.  USAID/OFDA provided USD 100,000 to OCHA this year to support 
their coordination role. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
Renewal of Disaster Declaration for FY09 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶11.  It is clear that the on-going complex political/economic 
crisis, compounded by the impact of post-election political violence 
and resultant displacement of thousands of people, the ban on NGO 
activities, and the food security crisis has resulted in an 
acceleration of the erosion of household resiliency of the poorest 
segments of the urban and rural populations of Zimbabwe.  It is also 
clear that the Mugabe regime has neither the will nor the capacity 
to respond to the magnitude of humanitarian needs created by these 
multiple crises.  Post is concerned about a possible further 
deterioration in the current situation due to lack of availability 
and high price of staple food items and agricultural inputs, the 
growing difficulty of accessing cash from banks in urban areas, 
continued deterioration of the water/sanitation infrastructure, and 
the growing frustration on the part of the general population with 
the drawn out political stalemate.  Therefore, Post hereby renews 
the referenced disaster declarations for FY09.  Post will continue 
to work closely with the regional offices of USAID/FFP and 
USAID/OFDA to monitor the situation and determine what types of 
additional humanitarian assistance may be required to save lives, 
alleviate suffering, and reduce the economic impact of this complex 
disaster. 
 
DHANANI