Tsvangirai told Khama,Accident was an assassination attempt
Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister,Morgan Tsvangirai believed that the accident that killed his wife,Susan and injured him was an assassination attempt and told Botswana President Ian Khama so, a source has revealed.
Botswana’s President was reportedly the first African head of state to call Tsvangirai a few hours after the accident and Tsvangirai on his hospital bed told Khama that he doubted if it was ‘just an accident’,Khama immediately asked the Botswana embassy in Harare to make arrangements for Tsvangirai to be flown to Botswana.
In Botswana Tsvangirai held discussions with Khama and according to our source who requested anonymity, Tsvangirai wanted to quit the powersharing deal and contemplated going into exile as he believed his life and that of senior MDC officials was in danger but was dissuaded from doing so by Khama.
Khama advised Tsvangirai to hang on because not everyone in ZANU PF was opposed to the power sharing deal and it would be easier for him to identify his real opponents in ZANU PF by working with them everyday.
Khama also reportedly advised Tsvangirai that if he quits,violence like the one witnessed in the June runoff election would flare and the military junta would take advantage of the situation to launch a military coup and Zimbabwe’s humanitarian situation would worsen and problems would go on unresolved for years.
He also told Tsvangirai to play down the circumstances of the accident to ‘cool down’ his supporters ‘s emotions.
After the Botswana visit Tsvangirai came back to Zimbabwe and played down the circumstances surrounding the accident telling mourners that the chances of the accident being an assassination attempt were ‘one in a thousand’.
A comment from Foreign Affairs Director of Information Chris Maribe could not be obtained last night,as repeated calls and an email to his office were not answered.
The source also revealed that an investigation report on the accident will likely never be publicly released. A development a political analyst says it shows that the MDC knows more than it telling its supporters.
‘If that report simply says it was an accident then why is the MDC not making it available to the public. This shows that the MDC is shedding the truth and short charging its supporters who deserve to know.’ noted Gregory Mthembu-Salter a security studies expert at South Africa’s Institute for Security Studies.
South Africa’s ruling Party leader and now President-elect Jacob Zuma allegedly also held long discussions with Tsvangirai after the accident,details on what kind of advise he offered could not be obtained,but it is likely he encouraged him to stick to the deal.
Tsvangirai since finishing ahead in last year’s March 29 poll has formed a close and strong relationship with the leaders of Zimbabwe’s two rich neighbours South Africa and Botswana,Jacob Zuma and Ian Khama respectively. The two countries since the signing of the powersharing deal have offered economic aid to Zimbabwe.
Posted by Gerald Harper
on May 4, 2009. Filed under Local News.
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