Tsvangirai’s electricity cut
Zimbabwe’s electricity authority has disconnected the power supply to the home of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa) cut the electricity on Monday after a BBC broadcast in which Tsvangirai, who leads the Movement Democratic Change (MDC) called for South Africa to impose direct sanctions on Zimbabwe.
Tsvangirai’s wife Susan said two men from Zesa arrived at their house in the capital city of Harare and disconnected the electricity at about 3pm without saying anything to her. “Our accounts are up to date and we don’t owe Zesa any money,” she said on Tuesday.
She said she was waiting for a response from Zesa authorities as to why their electricity had been cut-off. Zesa authorities declined to comment but a senior manager who asked not to be named said they acted on “orders from above”.
In the BBC interview Tsvangirai said South Africa should impose direct sanctions on Zimbabwe by stopping fuel and electricity supplies and cutting all transport links to the country.
“The threat to undermine the elections by the military and by President (Robert) Mugabe himself, should send shock waves to South Africa who should say we are going to cut fuel, we are going to cut the transport links,” Tsvangirai said. Zimbabwe imports electricity from South Africa and relies on its southern neighbour for a rail and road link to its fuel supplies from the sea.
In retaliation the Zanu PF government said Tsvangirai’s statements culminated from the MDC’s futility in pursuing an agenda of violence and intimidation.
This isn’t the first time the government has tried to intimidate Tsvangirai, who poses a formidable challenge to President Mugabe in the March presidential poll.
He has been arrested on several occasions on charges of inciting violence and earlier this month the MDC was labelled a terrorist organisation. Zimbabwe already faces sanctions from the United States after President George W Bush signed the Zimbabwe Economic Recovery Bill in December. The bill will impose restrictions on outside travel to President Mugabe and top officials in government.
Posted by Wellington Chadehumbe
on January 16, 2002. Filed under Politics.
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