SW Radio Africa (London)
Violet Gonda
23 June 2008
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has gone into hiding in the Dutch embassy in Zimbabwe, a day after he announced he was pulling out of the presidential run-off election. Tsvangirai announced on Sunday that violence was the major reason for withdrawing from the race, as it made it impossible to have a free and fair election.
MDC Treasurer Roy Bennett told Newsreel that Tsvangirai has been forced to seek refuge in the Dutch embassy because the party had received credible information of his imminent arrest.
Bennett said Tsvangirai could not take refuge in any African embassies, as the ZANU PF government had shown no respect for them. "We understand just last week they did a forced entrance into the Botswana embassy and took two vehicles, and therefore it wouldn't be safe for him (Tsvangirai) in any of the SADC or African country embassies."
The news comes amidst more reports of violence and arrests in Zimbabwe despite the MDC leader pulling out of the presidential race. The MDC headquarters were raided Monday and at least 60 opposition supporters were arrested. They were mostly women and children who had fled the rural violence.
Since the first round of election was held on March 29th the MDC says over 85 MDC supporters have been killed, 200 000 people internally displaced, 20 000 houses have been destroyed and 10 000 people injured and maimed in this orgy of state sponsored violence.
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Morgan Tsvangirai only won the last elections because the other candidate was undermined by the West, with their sanctions and all. When Mugabe was undermined, with foreign diplomats even attending opposition rallies, no one said that the elections were not free and fair. The western leaders themselves have invalidated any talk of free and fair elections in Zimbabwe. Do you expect Mugabe to just bend over, when the west are trying to oust him? An African liberation hero cannot bow to the West, don't they understand that? It is unrealistic to expect this, even with the military might they possess. He is going to fight and that is what is now happening.
White people can help resolve this problem by getting their leaders, Britain in particular, to apologize to Mugabe for the homosexually-related attempted arrest, and fullfil their part of the agreement that was signed at Lancaster House. After that this whole problem will be solved almost instantly. The western guys are behaving like children by refusing to directly resolve the problems they have with Mugabe with Mugabe himself. Instead of doing this, they decided to find another guy to replace him and to pressurize other african countries to condemn him. This has been their modus operandi forever; divide and rule.
I can assure you that without the sanctions that are causing hardship for Zimbabweans, Mugabe and Zanu-PF will win any election there hands down. It is plain to see that Morgan is no match for Mugabe. They are not even at the same level. To beat Mugabe in a free and fair poll, they need to put forward someone with more substance than Tsvangirai.
Every man knows his father's house. Tsvangirai too knows his father's house. But this time around he ran to his uncle's rather than his father. That traitor of the liberation of the zimbabwean people must never be allowed to undo the results of the Liberation Struggle.
How can be kill the people of Zimbabwe with sanctions and the same people talk about free and fair elections. They tie President Mugabe and arm Tsvangirai for a fight. If Mugabe wins, the fight is not fair. If their agent wins, it was a great fight. Shame on Britain and Ameraca.
Do you think those African leaders pretending to be against President Mugabe are truly against him. They are only making empty speaches because they have been threaten with loss of power if they do not do so.
We pray for you everyday Cde Mugabe. Don't let the real enemies and thier thieves conquor Zimbabwe again.
Hmmm Kill the people with sanctions? What sanctions?! You mean the 130 against government ministers and their travel? Dont be rediculous! Sanctions are just a device of Mugabes to find someone to blame for his economic mismanagement. Its time for him to look in the mirror and know the people do not love him and more, do not see him as a hero, and realise he is nothing but a genocidal dictator, no better than idi amin or pol pot.
why do you persist in copying and pasting your comments from one thread to another? Imagine if everyone did that. Do you think you have written a clever comment and want more recognition for your ego?
Quite disturbed to hear Tsvangirai is now naively pursuaded to leave the embassy by the very people he fled from. We prefer to have him alive to finish this process. Already no good news for Biti. Stay put in there until you witness the madness of/after June 27th. Think about why they refused to issue a new passport and why they continue the murder and arson even in face of UN resolutions. Rather let them storm the embassy. Or have they run out of food and water in there?