Tsvangirai address Africa Day rally

MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai says his opposition party is a proud post-liberation political movement which values and respects Africa Day, the people, country and the continent as a whole.

Tsvangirai, who will mark Africa Day by holding a rally in Kuwadzana under his "no reforms, no elections" campaign, said today's celebrations come at a time Zimbabwe and the continent were facing numerous challenges.

"Ironically, we are marking this day against a sad background where Africans have become unsafe and unwelcome even in their own continent as exemplified by the xenophobic attacks in South Africa," Tsvangirai said through his spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka.

"Sadly, the day comes when Zimbabweans are also unsafe in their own country and the abduction of Itai Dzamara and the brazen assault of Honourable Machingauta of Budiriro tell their own story.

Tsvangirai said it was ironic that President Robert Mugabe, the Africa Union chairperson was expected to deal with the spectre of terror in Africa when his own party and government have become "terrorists to their own people".

The MDC-T leader vowed his party would never participate in any election in the country until Mugabe's government implemented the agreed reforms.

"This is so because the demand for reforms is an African [AU] issue as these reforms were agreed under the auspices of the African Union and Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc), then the guarantors of the inclusive government, but Zanu PF refused to implement these reforms," he said.

"So, the MDC's call for reforms is a re-statement of that message from Africa and in Kuwadzana tomorrow, the MDC will be re-kindling that demand for reforms which begun under the auspices of the AU."