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ZIMBABWE BANK NOTES
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Members of his party, the Movement of Democratic Change (MDC), said the threat to Mr Tsvangirai’s life was being overlooked as diplomats sought to keep an agreement to reconcile Zimbabwe’s political parties on track.
The party vowed to conduct its own investigation into the car crash in which Susan Tsvangirai, 50, was killed and her 56-year-old husband suffered head injuries.
One member of the MDC criticised comments by a British official that last week’s crash, which involved a vehicle that was distributing medical aid on behalf of British and America assistance programmes, as a “genuine accident”.
“How would the British government know this for sure?” he said. “We had our own people on the scene very shortly afterwards and there was no sign of any High Commission representative.
“We also know that the British government has a great interest in ensuring that the unity government in Zimbabwe is a success despite all the evidence that Mugabe has repeatedly flouted all the conditions.”
President Robert Mugabe visited Mr Tsvangirai, whose injuries were described as minor, in hospital in Harare after the incident. But in a signal of concern among Mr Tsvangirai’s allies over his well being, the prime minister was later flown to neighbouring Botswana for “medical and security” reasons.
Botswana’s president, Ian Khama, is one of the few African leaders to have openly criticised Mr Mugabe’s rule, blaming the president for the economic collapse that has forced more than one million Zimbabweans to emigrate.
Mr Mugabe’s show of sympathy did little to allay the fears of Mr Tsvangirai’s supporters that he had been targeted by Zimbabwe’s security forces, the members of which have a vested interest in ensuring a continuation of Mr Mugabe’s rule.
MDC leaders pointed out that there had been at least four attempts on Mr Tsvangirai’s life in his years of opposition. “This is not a genuine accident”, said Sibanengi Dube, the MDC spokesman in South Africa.
“This is an organised hit that was designed to eliminate our leader.
“We believe that the powerful and notorious clique in Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF is determined to scupper efforts by the inclusive government to get Zimbabwe back on track.”
The crash happened as Mr and Mrs Tsvangirai travelled to a weekend home south of Harare just two days after the new prime minister addressed parliament for the first time.
They were in an official vehicle with a private security escort when it was hit by a seven-ton lorry heading the other way.
Choona Mwana, the lorry driver, was reported to have told the independent Zimbabwe Standard newspaper that he had hit a hump in the road and was battling to control his vehicle when it hit Mr Tsvangirai’s car, causing it to overturn.
Mrs Tsvangirai was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
Seven leading political figures seen to have been challenging Mr Mugabe’s rule had died in mysterious circumstances. Most were killed in vehicle accidents that were never satisfactorily explained.
