VZCZCXRO3155
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0834/01 2920745
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 190745Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5038
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 3103
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 3214
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 1643
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2477
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 2846
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 3262
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 5709
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2396
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 000834 
 
AF/S FOR B. WALCH 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR L.DOBBINS AND J. HARMON 
COMMERCE FOR ROBERT TELCHIN 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PHUM ECON ZI
 
SUBJECT: ZIM NOTES 10-16-2009 
 
----------- 
¶1.  SUMMARY 
----------- 
 
Topics of the week: 
 
- Roy Bennett Locked Up Again and then Ordered Released... 
- MDC Announces Disengagement from ZANU-PF... 
- Media Commission Selected, but not Announced... 
- Journalist Arrested in Chiadzwa... 
- Trial of Human Rights Lawyer and Court Clerk Begins... 
- IMF Mission Briefs Donors... 
- Shoprite Gets Cold Feet... 
- Liberalization of Gold Marketing Leads to Mine Re-opening... 
- Ministry of State Enterprises and Parastatals Fights for 
Relevance... 
 
--------------------------------- 
On the Political and Social Front 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  Roy Bennett Locked Up Again and then Ordered Released...  On 
October 13, MDC Treasurer and Deputy Minister of Agriculture Roy 
Bennett appeared for trial in the Magistrates Court in Mutare.  The 
Attorney General's representative obtained a delay and then indicted 
him (essentially refilling charges) in the High Court on October 15. 
 He was immediately imprisoned after the AG refused to extend his 
bail.  Bennett's trial on charges of banditry, terrorism and 
sabotage is now scheduled to start in Mutare on October 19.  On 
October 16, attorney Beatrice Mtetwa argued Bennett's bail 
application before Justice Charles Hungwe in the High Court. 
Hungwe, who is perhaps Zimbabwe's most independent judge, ordered 
Bennett released. 
 
¶3.  MDC Announces Disengagement from ZANU-PF...  After Bennett was 
locked up on October 15, the MDC Standing Committee met and resolved 
to disengage from ZANU-PF until all Global Political Agreement (GPA) 
outstanding issues were resolved.    Disengagement means the MDC 
will not meet with ZANU-PF in Cabinet or in the Council of 
Ministers.  Outstanding issues include the appointments of Reserve 
Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes 
Tomana, and President Robert Mugabe's failure to appoint governors. 
At this time, the MDC has no intention of leaving government, but is 
seeking to pressure ZANU-PF to implement the GPA.  See Harare 832 
and 826. 
 
¶4.  Media Commission Selected, but not Announced...  President 
Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai have jointly 
selected members for the new Media Commission which will inter alia 
license newspapers.  George Charamba, Permanent Secretary in the 
Minister of Information and Mugabe spokesperson, has indicated the 
Commission will not be announced until members of the other 
commissions provided for in the Global Political 
Agreement-Electoral, Human Rights, and Anti-Corruption-are selected. 
 Interviews for the Electoral and Human Rights Commissions have 
taken place and short lists of candidates for Mugabe and Tsvangirai 
have been formulated.  ZANU-PF appears to be foot-dragging on the 
Media Commission, as independent dailies will begin publishing once 
the Media Commission is established.  See Harare 824. 
 
¶5.  Journalist Arrested in Chiadzwa...  A freelance journalist was 
arrested in Chiadzwa on October 8 and held at a military base in the 
Qarrested in Chiadzwa on October 8 and held at a military base in the 
diamond field after soldiers found her taking photographs.  After 
calling a friend in Harare, lawyers secured her release from the 
base, and she was transferred to the jail in Mutare.  She is 
scheduled to appear in court in Mutare on October 19 on charges of 
entering a protected area without a pass. 
 
¶6.  Trial of Human Rights Lawyer and Court Clerk Begins...  The 
 
HARARE 00000834  002 OF 003 
 
 
trial of prominent human rights lawyer Alec Muchadehama and high 
court clerk Constance Gambara on charges of obstructing justice 
began on October 14. They stand accused of illegally securing the 
release of three men accused of bombing police stations in 2008 who 
were abducted in late 2008 and tortured by State agents.  In April, 
a judge granted the three bail, but the State prosecutor indicated 
he would file an appeal to bail.  When he failed to do so within 
seven days as required by law, Muchadehama approached the clerk who 
issued an order of release.  The State, however, proclaimed that it 
had seven business days, not calendar days to file the appeal. 
Muchadehama and Gambara were arrested in May; Muchadehama spent one 
night in jail and Gambara spent one week in jail before being 
granted bail. 
 
 
----------------------------------- 
On the Economic and Business Front 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  IMF Mission Briefs Donors...  An IMF team arrived in Harare this 
week to review GOZ economic reforms.  At an October 13 briefing for 
OECD chiefs of mission, IMF officials said there had been progress 
on budget execution, but serious concerns remained about governance 
at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.  Pressure for wage increases and 
lack of progress on rule of law added to doubts about the economic 
outlook.  See Harare 820. 
 
¶8.  Shoprite Gets Cold Feet...  South African retail giant Shoprite 
has shelved plans to buy the OK Zimbabwe grocery chain. A statement 
by Shoprite management cited "socio-economic and political 
uncertainty."  OK has declined to comment.  Our business contacts 
are inclined to think that Shoprite was put off by the GOZ's seizure 
of Kingdom Meikles and other politically motivated meddling in 
private business.  See Harare 828. 
 
 
¶9.  Liberalization of Gold Marketing Leads to Mine Re-opening...  On 
October 14, Mwana Africa Plc. announced its first gold production of 
5.5 kilograms at the Freda Rebecca mine, which had closed in 2007 
amidst Zimbabwe's economic implosion. According to the Zimbabwe 
Chamber of Mines, Freda Rebecca will be able to produce 990 
kilograms of gold by end of year, thanks to both the liberalization 
of gold marketing at the beginning of the year and the improvement 
in Zimbabwe's economic climate. 
 
¶10.  Ministry of State Enterprises and Parastatals Fights for 
Relevance... Following unilateral ZANU-PF appointments to boards to 
state-owned enterprises under the Ministry of Information and 
Publicity two weeks ago, the Ministry of State Enterprises and 
Parastatals published advertisements calling for applications for 
board appointments to parastatals on October 11. The confusion 
arises from the overlapping functions of various ministries and the 
on-going power struggles between the MDC and ZANU-PF in the 
transitional government. Unfortunately for the Minister of State 
Enterprises and Parastatals, an MDC appointee, most of the 
parastatals were created by Acts of Parliament that compel them to 
Qparastatals were created by Acts of Parliament that compel them to 
report through their own line ministries. 
 
------------------ 
Quotes of the Week 
------------------ 
 
¶11.  "I hope SADC see that ZANU-PF has not shifted from its position 
of abusing the powers it has to decimate the MDC - powers given to 
them by SADC."  Beatrice Mtetwa, the human rights lawyer 
representing Roy Bennett. 
 
¶12.  "The bottom line is that all animals are equal but some are 
more equal than others." -- Jonathan Moyo quoted without irony in 
 
HARARE 00000834  003 OF 003 
 
 
the October 11 Sunday Mail on the reasons for his return to 
ZANU-PF. 
 
¶13.  "I did not want to shoot him.  I placed my service pistol on 
the table inviting him to come out of the hotel so that we could 
fight.  I wanted to fight him with my bare hands; that is why I 
placed my service pistol on the table.  The problem was that during 
our discussion the MP continued to denigrate the army and I wanted 
to discipline him.  However, I have since forgiven him." -- 
Major-General Engelbert Rugeje, explaining allegations that he 
threatened to shoot Tachiona Mharadze, MDC-T MP for Masvingo West, 
following an altercation over the role of the army in the inclusive 
government.  Rugeje was frequently seen leading election-related 
violence in Masvingo province in 2008. 
 
 
PETTERSON