Zimbabwe

Tsvangirai postpones return following reports of planned assassination

Article published on the 2008-05-17 Latest update 2008-05-18 12:00 TU

Morgan Tsvangirai
(Photo: AFP)

The leader of the Zimbabwean opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai was expected to return to the country today ahead of the election run-off with current president Robert Mugabe. His spokesman, George Sibotshiwe, said that the plans had been changed following a tip-off of a planned assassination attempt.

Sibotshiwe, speaking to RFI, described the source of the tip off as "credible" but did not give any further details as to who was believed to be responsible.

He said Tsvangirai was not the only person in danger and that the entire MDC leadership and "every Zimbabwean" was at risk from what he termed a "brutal regime". "He will stay in Johannesburg but he is determined to go home at the soonest oppurtunity" he explained. "We call on SADC and the international community to ensure that Morgan Tsvangirai is safe during this run-off" he added.

John Makumbe of the Zimbabwe Chapter of Transparency International told RFI that the opposition leader's supporters "would understand this risk of assassination" and suggested that the threat might also prove beneficial to the challenger by increasing sympathy for him.

In the first round of the election President Robert Mugabe trailed Tsvangirai, with 43.2 per cent of the vote against the challenger's 47.9 per cent. Mugabe launched his second-round election campaign today calling on voters to support him for "100 per cent empowerment, independence".