Opposition assassination claims a fantasy, says Zim
Zimbabwe’s ruling party on Tuesday dismissed as pure fantasy opposition claims that President Robert Mugabe’s military intelligence was plotting to assassinate opposition leadership.
“The allegations by the [Morgan] Tsvangirai-led Movement for Democratic Change [MDC] have no foundation whatsoever except in his own dreams,” Nathan Shamuyarira, spokesperson for the ruling Zanu-PF, was quoted by the state-run Herald newspaper as saying.
“He is dreaming things that are not existent in Zimbabwe. No one in Zanu-PF or the government has any intention of killing him,” he said.
“The problem with Tsvangirai is that his statements are directed at big powers in Europe and North America in an attempt to influence them to give him more money and support.”
After opposition leader Tsvangirai refused to return home at the weekend over fears for his safety, his number two, Tendai Biti, claimed on Monday that he was one of dozens of top figures in the MDC who were on a hit list.
“It’s one of those wild claims that we have come to expect from Biti.
“No one in his right mind would draw up such a list, which would mean eliminating the entire MDC leadership. The majority of the MDC national executive purportedly targeted ... are still in this country.”
Tsvangirai is due to square off against veteran leader Mugabe in a run-off election on June 27 after narrowly failing to win an outright majority in a first round held on March 29.
The MDC says 43 of its supporters have been killed in an upsurge of violence since the original polling day and 5Â 000 families have been displaced from their homes.—Sapa-AFP
