Zimbabwe
Report of IDI Safety and Security Delegation
1.
Purpose
At
its meeting of 1 October 2002, the IDI Board determined that it would send a
Safety and Security Delegation to Zimbabwe to inspect arrangements for the ICC
Cricket World Cup 2003.
The
purpose of the Delegation was to inspect the situation in Zimbabwe in order to
determine if it was safe for the six games to be played in the country during
the tournament.
All
members confirmed that the only issue in relation to Zimbabwe was safety and
security and that political considerations should not be a factor in the ICC’s
decision making process.
The
Delegation comprised the following representatives from the ICC and its members:
•
Mr Malcolm Speed Managing Director, ICC Development (International) Ltd;
•
Mr James Sutherland Chief Executive, Australian Cricket Board (ACB);
•
Mr SK Nair Honorary Secretary, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI);
•
Mr Tim Lamb Chief Executive, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB);
•
Mr Hans Mulder Team Manager, Koninklijke Nederlanse (Holland) Cricket Board
(KNCB);
•
Mr Laurie Pieters President of the Namibian Cricket Board (NCB);
•
Mr Chishty Mujahid Director of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB);
•
Mr Vince Hogg Chief Executive of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU).
In
addition, the Delegation had a number of advisors. These were:
•
Mr Ian Frykberg Director of ICC's commercial partner, Global Cricket Corporation
(GCC);
•
Mr Tim May Joint Chief Executive of the Federation of International Cricketers
Associations (FICA);
•
Mr Jeff Rees Senior Investigator from the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit;
•
Mr Ben van Deventer Member of the ICC CWC 2003 Security Directorate and a senior
South African policeman;
•
Mr Jonathan Ticehurst ICC Insurance advisor, from Windsor Insurance
• Mr Brendan
McClements ICC General Manager, Corporate Affairs.
2. Itinerary
The
inspection itinerary was as follows.
Wednesday
27th November
7.30am
Internal Breakfast Briefing Session – Function Room, Meikles
Hotel.
8.30am
Australian High Commission – 29 Mazowe St, Harare
Mr Trevor
Wills - Acting High Commissioner
9.30am
Zimbabwe Republic Police Headquarters – representatives of Police, Army, Air
Force
10.30am
Meeting with Ministry of Education, Sport & Culture, The Honourable Mr E
Chigwedere.
12.00pm
Lunch at Harare Sports Club during the ODI vs Pakistan.
to 2.30pm
Meeting with the Deputy Mayor of Harare and Acting Town Clerk
Thursday
28th November
7.30am
Delegates collected from the Hotel for transport to Charles Prince airport.
8.00am
Flight to Bulawayo
9.20am
Arrival in Bulawayo – collection at the airport by ZCU Personnel.
10.00am
Executive Mayor of Bulawayo, His Worship Mr J Ndabeni-Ncube.
11.00am
Zimbabwe Republic Police, Matabeleland Province – representatives of Police and
Army.
12.00pm
Visit to Queens Sports Club – inspection of facilities.
2.30pm
Flight to Harare
Friday 29th
November
8.30am
British High Commission
Mr B
Donnelly – High Commissioner
10.00am
Indian High Commission
Mr A K Basu
– High Commissioner
11.30am
Namibian High Commission
Mr E
Haipinge – Acting High Commissioner
12.30pm
Royal Netherlands Embassy
Councillor
Mr P van der Linde
2.30pm
Pakistan High Commission
Mr K A Babar
– High Commissioner
3.30pm
Security briefing from Zimbabwe World Cup Security Directorate, Mr Paul
Friendship, in the ZCU Boardroom.
4.30pm
Closing discussion session chaired by Malcolm Speed in the ZCU Boardroom.
Unfortunately
the scheduled appointment with the Namibian High Commissioner was cancelled
during the visit.
3. Zimbabwe
– Safety Environment
The
Delegation was able to obtain a clear picture of the safety and security
environment within Zimbabwe through its discussions with a broad cross section
of Government, security and diplomatic contacts.
The issue
was addressed directly by the Delegation in each of its meetings.
Internal
Safety Environment
Universally,
it was recognized that there has been considerable improvement recently in the
safety environment in Zimbabwe since the decision by the Australian Cricket
Board to postpone its tour to the country earlier this year. The Pakistan Team
has just completed a three week tour and had not encountered any problems.
The
Australian High Commission highlighted that this change was reflected in its
travel advice to its citizens which had been downgraded from advising against
all non-essential travel, to recommending that visitors to the country exercise
due caution in their travel arrangements.
The British
High Commission and the Dutch Embassy travel advice is similar.
Pakistan and
India regard Zimbabwe as safe and have not seen fit to issue a travel advisory
for the country.
All
diplomats commented that Harare and Bulawayo experienced the street crime
associated with most cities but that they would expect it to be safe and secure
for the players and officials, provided that due vigilance and caution was
exercised, particularly after dark.
It should be
noted that no foreign tourist has been killed or injured in Zimbabwe for
political motives.
A
similar point was also made by the security forces that will be responsible for
the teams in these cities.
The sense of
the advice is summed up in the following comment made to the delegation by a
consular official.
“Sensible
tourism is perfectly possible”
All
diplomats regarded the high profile of the players and the security surrounding
the teams and officials as factors that would reduce the security risk.
Of
particular note were the comments of the Deputy Mayor and Town Clerk of Harare
and the Mayor of Bulawayo.
While both
cities are politically controlled by the opposition party (the MDC), both local
governments emphasised that the games are in the national interest and
highlighted the economic boost that staging the matches will provide to their
cities.
In
particular, the Deputy Mayor of Harare identified the critical shortage of
foreign currency in Zimbabwe and the benefits that will come to his constituency
from staging the matches.
It was also
identified that while the political situation in Zimbabwe is difficult, the risk
of orchestrated violence from within the country that could place the players
and officials at risk is minimal.
Diplomatic
sources confirm that the MDC is committed to finding a political solution
through non-violent means and is unlikely to attempt to orchestrate any violence
against the government or use the World Cup matches as a political platform to
promote their cause.
The local
government officials confirmed the support of their cities for the matches, that
their party supports the participation of Zimbabwe in international sport, that
these games are regarded as being in the national interest and that their party
does not support violence.
“When it
comes to national issues that reflect the national identity, the MDC will not
engage in any political points scoring”
Senior city
official
“Everyone is
supportive of the World Cup and the MDC is the same. The World Cup is
fundamentally a good thing and we’re not going to call it a bad thing and go
against public opinion”
Senior city
official
One major
area of concern identified during the inspection was in relation to food
shortages.
Zimbabwe is
currently experiencing significant food shortages, particularly in the rural
areas, and this situation is likely to get worse ahead of the ICC CWC 2003 with
the next harvest not due until April. Zimbabwe has previously experienced food
riots in Harare (1997) and this cannot be ruled out again.
However, it
is apparent that should this occur it will not be an organized program by the
MDC. Any action is likely to be as a result of localized disaffection spilling
over into violence.
“A hungry
stomach can make a man angry.”
Senior city
official
Equally, it
is likely that any violence, should it occur, would be well away from the
players and officials. This type of outbreak is likely to occur in the suburbs
of Harare and Bulawayo while the teams and officials will be located in the
centre of the city.
It was also
highlighted to the Delegation that in the event of any violence of this type,
the internal security forces were very well equipped to quickly isolate, contain
and address the problem.
“If food
riots occur, it is highly likely that the police and military would be able to
contain them as the layout of the city of Harare makes this easy to achieve. The
city has been planned this way”
Consular
official
External
Safety Environment
A
number of sources highlighted to the ICC that the main security threat in
Zimbabwe would not come from within the country but is posed by the risk of an
outside terrorist organisation targeting the ICC CWC 2003.
It should be
noted that in making these comments, the sources also highlighted that Zimbabwe
posed no greater or lesser risk than any other country hosting the tournament
and that this was simply a comment on the situation in the world today.
It was also
highlighted that there was no history of external terrorist attacks or extremism
in the country.
In light of
this information, the Delegation sought information on the capacity and
capability of the Zimbabwean intelligence and security forces to deal with this
type of threat.
Not
surprisingly, the security forces themselves believed that they were entirely
capable of dealing with this issue.
More
importantly, a number of other independent sources also supported this view.
“The
Zimbabwe security forces are well staffed and well organized”
Senior
Consular official
“Zimbabwe
has the expertise, infrastructure and capability to deliver a safe and secure
event”
Senior
Consular official
“I know that
the US has been working closely with the Zimbabwe intelligence community and
that they are pleased with the co-operation. There is no sense that Zimbabwe is
sympathetic with or helping terrorists.”
Senior
Consular official
4. Zimbabwe
– Player and Officials Security
The
accountability and responsibility for the safety and security of players and
officials in Zimbabwe rests with the United Cricket Board of South Africa
through its Cricket World Cup Organising Committee and the Safety Directorate of
that Committee.
The
Delegation was accompanied by Director Mr Ben van Deventer, a member of the
Security Directorate and a very senior serving policeman in the South African
Police Force with specific skills in the area of safety and security for major
international events.
Mr van
Deventer confirmed that security of the players and officials in Zimbabwe was
subject to the detailed Security Plan developed for the event.
This plan
has previously been approved by the Government of South Africa and is a
comprehensive and detailed guide to the necessary levels of security at the
World Cup. It covers all aspects of security including airport arrivals and
departures, transfers, accommodation and at-match arrangements.
The focus of
the Delegation was on the extent to which this security plan was understood by
the relevant security personnel in Zimbabwe and to what degree it is being
implemented.
Meetings
with the police and security forces identified that the management structures
had been put in place with the necessary security committees established in both
Harare and Bulawayo. These committees bring together the relevant stakeholders
responsible for overseeing and implementing the security plan.
The
Delegation’s visit also coincided with the trial, at the 3rd ODI between
Zimbabwe and Pakistan, of the match day security arrangements for traffic free
zones, vehicle checks, spectator searches (including magnotometer scans) and
zoned accreditation areas within grounds.
These trials
worked successfully with the plans proceeding smoothly. Weaknesses that were
identified are now being addressed as the final plans are developed.
In meeting
with the various security and coordinating groups involved in the provision of
this security, it was apparent to the Delegation that this issue must remain a
priority in the lead-up to the tournament.
The
Delegation received undertakings from all parties that this commitment is in
place and the Delegation is of the view that the ZCU and the CWC Security
Directorate must work more closely together to ensure that the Security Plan is
well understood by all organisations responsible for its delivery.
The
Delegation was satisfied with the commitments from both the ZCU and the Security
Directorate.
It noted
that the ZCU would be submitting a full report on the implementation of its
Security Plan to the Security Directorate for final sign-off in early January
2003 and recommends that the approved plan should be provided to all Boards
whose teams are playing in Zimbabwe as a matter of course.
The
Delegation also sought assurances on the security arrangements that would be in
place to deal with the possibility of terrorist attack.
The
Directorate advised that increased security would be implemented including:
•
The creation of a secure perimeter of some 200 meters around the hotel protected
by strong roadblocks such as concrete barriers;
•
Vehicle access to the area permitted only through an accreditation system; and
•
Inspections of every vehicle entering the area.
The
Delegation regards these steps as mandatory.
It is also
important to note that the Security Plan includes a significant component
dedicated to the provision of suitable medical facilities at and close to both
venues.
The on-site
facilities to include:
1. One
doctor;
2. Two
ambulances, both with two crew members and equipped to Intermediate Life Support
levels.
3. One
trauma nurse
4. One
paramedic.
The medical
staff to be provided with the full range of equipment specified in the Security
Plan.
Both
locations have primary and secondary designated hospitals and suitable medical
facilities. In Harare these are within a 3 km radius of the venue and at
Bulawayo they are within an 8 km radius of the venue. Families of players who
are travelling to Zimbabwe should also be provided with an understanding of the
security measures in place for the games to ensure that they are able to take
the necessary steps to minimise any security risk.
5. Zimbabwe
– Media and Spectator Safety Issues
The ICC
recognizes that there are likely to be many media personnel and spectators who
are also looking to travel to Zimbabwe for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. The
delegation also sought an understanding of security issues from this
perspective.
In looking
at this issue it should be noted that the decision of whether or not to travel
to Zimbabwe can only be made by these individuals and organizations and ICC
plays no part in that decision.
The views of
the diplomats were of particular interest regarding the safety assessments for
their own nationals.
Even the
most cautious advice was that Zimbabwe was a safe and secure country for
tourists, provided they were sensible in their travel arrangements.
Sensible
precautions include:
•
ensuring that travel arrangements are made with a reputable travel company;
•
not traveling to rural areas;
•
keeping a low political profile and avoiding crowds;
•
being aware of the sensitivities in Zimbabwe such as no photography of state
buildings.
The British
High Commission was very keen to ensure that its citizens travelling to Zimbabwe
made sure that they were aware of these issues while the Australian High
Commission stressed the need for people to seek out and follow the travel
advisories issued by its staff.
“Visitors to
Zimbabwe should make sure that they travel with experienced tour operators to
well known destinations. The issues for tourists are no different to any other
country.”
Senior
Diplomat
It is
anticipated that the largest contingent of overseas spectators will come from
England with the “Barmy Army” likely to be well represented.
The British
High Commission is particularly keen to establish contact with its supporters.
Given the
existing informal relationship between the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)
and the Barmy Army, ECB CEO, Mr Tim Lamb, agreed to facilitate this discussion
to allow the British High Commission to provide the Barmy Army with information
and advice specific to British citizens visiting Zimbabwe for the World Cup.
The
inspection highlighted the need for all visitors to Zimbabwe to make sure that
they are fully informed about the situation within the country when coming to
their own decisions about travelling to the World Cup.
Based on the
information provided by diplomatic staff, the Delegation is satisfied that
Zimbabwe is safe for spectators and media travelling to the tournament on the
basis that any person travelling to Zimbabwe obtains and follows the travel
advice issued by their own diplomatic mission.
The
Delegation strongly urges all spectators and media considering travelling to
these matches to consult with their own High Commissions/Embassies to get the
most up to date information available in order to make a fully informed and
considered decision on this issue.
6. Insurance
Issues
Following
our meetings and discussions the insurance assessment identified that that any
violent attack on the tournament is likely to be from outside Zimbabwe rather
than from within. That is an attack directed against the Tournament, to create
international publicity, by extremists based outside Zimbabwe.
Attacks on
soft targets by determined extremists are very difficult to foresee and they are
occurring with increasing frequency and severity in different parts of the
world. However, as the situation stands at the moment there is confidence that
insurance is available for the Players and Officials for death, disablement and
medical expenses associated therewith, arising out of terrorist attacks within
Zimbabwe.
This is at a
level of benefit that it is believed will be regarded by ICC, the National
Cricket Associations/Board, and the Players as adequate and reasonable.
Such a
policy would automatically extend to include death, disablement and medical
expenses caused by riots and civil commotion, as well as the risk of everyday
accident such as motor crash, personal assault, injury in the hotel etc.
The attack
on 28 November 2002 in Mombasa, Kenya, is regarded by Insurers as yet another
tragic episode in the ongoing conflict between two known adversaries. It does
not prejudice the insurances available to ICC but it does demonstrate the
unpredictability of the location of these events.
However, in
giving an indication of terms, Insurers may wish to reserve the right to cancel
the policy if the political climate deteriorates, with the feared consequences
of rioting and deaths, or if there are incidences of terrorist attack in
Zimbabwe between now and February 2003.
7.
Conclusions
1. The Delegation is satisfied that it met with a sufficient number
of people in a diversity of positions in Zimbabwe to provide adequate sources of
information to reach the conclusions that are detailed hereunder.
2. It is
satisfied that there is widespread support within Zimbabwe for the ICC Cricket
World Cup 2003 matches to take place. ZCU is a Full Member of ICC and has earned
the right to host these Cricket World Cup matches.
3. In the
course of its meetings, the Delegation was unable to identify any group that
would benefit significantly from the relocation of the matches. On the other
hand, there are significant benefits that will flow from playing the matches in
Zimbabwe.
4. It is
clear that levels of safety and security have improved since earlier in 2002
when the tour by the Australian Cricket Team to Zimbabwe was cancelled.
5. It is
also clear that there are serious political and economic issues that have arisen
in Zimbabwe and it is apparent that the situation will most likely deteriorate
between now and the time when the Cricket World Cup matches are to be played. It
is evident that increased anxiety in relation to political and economic affairs
and, in particular, food shortages that will be exacerbated in the coming
months, will create a risk of increased violence in the community.
6. However,
the Delegation is satisfied that the processes that have been put in place by
the relevant officials in Zimbabwe are more than adequate to deal with any such
threat of increased violence and that it will not pose a safety and security
risk for players and officials.
7. The
Delegation received a comprehensive presentation of those aspects of the Cricket
World Cup Security Plan that impact on matches in Zimbabwe. This Security Plan
has been approved by the Government of the Republic of South Africa. The ICC CWC
Security Directorate has undertaken to continue to monitor the implementation of
those aspects of the Security Plan that relate to the matches in Zimbabwe to
ensure that all of the planned activities take place.
8.
Spectators and media intending to travel to Zimbabwe are strongly urged to
contact their respective diplomatic officials and to get a thorough
understanding of the current situation in Zimbabwe to ensure that they are able
to make a fully informed decision about travelling to the country.
9. There is
an appropriate level of insurance cover at an acceptable cost available to all
of the teams scheduled to play in Zimbabwe, should they wish to take advantage
of that insurance.
10. There
are many serious issues that face the world at large in relation to safety and
security and the sport of cricket is not immune from these issues.
However, as
things stand at the moment, it is the view of the Delegation that there is no
good reason in terms of the safety and security of players to relocate any of
the six matches that are planned to be played in Zimbabwe in February and March
and they should continue as scheduled. In the intervening weeks, IDI and ZCU
will continue to monitor events in Zimbabwe very carefully. If there is any
significant deterioration in the perceived levels of safety in Zimbabwe, this
issue will be revisited immediately.
8.
Recommendations to the IDI Board
1. That the
IDI Board confirms that the six first round matches scheduled for Zimbabwe will
take placed as planned.
2. That the
ICC CWC Security Directorate ensures that the Security Plan is fully implemented
in Zimbabwe by regularly monitoring the progress of this plan and providing the
ICC with reports on a two weekly basis as to its implementation.
3. That the
final Security Plan submitted by the ZCU and approved by the Security
Directorate, including the additional security measures identified following the
terrorist attack in Kenya, be provided to each country scheduled to play in
Zimbabwe for their information.
Signed By
The Members Of The Delegation
Malcolm
Speed – IDI Managing Director
James
Sutherland – ACB Chief Executive
SK Nair –
BCCI Honorary Secretary
Tim Lamb –
ECB Chief Executive
Hans Mulder
– Holland Team Manager
Laurie
Pieters – Namibia President
Chishty
Mujahid – PCB Director
Vince Hogg –
ZCU Chief Executive
Ian Frykberg
– GCC Director
Tim May –
Chief Executive FICA
Jeff Rees –
ICC Anti Corruption Unit
Ben van
Deventer – CWC Security Directorate
Jonathan
Ticehurst – Windsor Insurance
Brendan
McClements – ICC General Manager, Corporate Affairs
December
2002
We
have had enough of this - we are starving while some people have plenty of
maize
