News / National
Tsvangirai urges Mugabe to step down
17 Oct 2011 at 05:18hrs | Views
The MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai urged President Robert Mugabe to step down and salvage some legacy, on a day the MDC leader was almost waylaid by suspected Zanu-PF thugs.
Pressure is mounting on Mugabe to quit and recently, whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks exposed that the octogenarian leader's "close" allies in Zanu-PF not only want him to quit but were plotting his ouster with foreigners.
Addressing thousands of supporters in Marondera yesterday, Tsvangirai said it was unfortunate that Zanu-PF still believed that it could gain power through violence.
Tsvangirai's rally came hours after suspected Zanu-PF supporters travelling in a bus attempted to block the Prime Minister from addressing the rally. They chanted Zanu-PF songs and verbally abused Tsvangirai.
Mugabe has been at the helm of the country since independence in 1980 and is likely to be the presidential candidate for the former ruling party in the forthcoming elections set for 2012 or 2013.
Zanu-PF has no other candidate except Mugabe while party stalwarts are scared of challenging the 87-year-old leader.
Tsvangirai said it will be an "insult" for Mugabe to be defeated again in an election given his contributions to the country.
Tsvangirai said it was given that he would win elections and saw no reason in Mugabe humiliating himself.
In 2008, Tsvangirai trounced Mugabe but the veteran leader clung on to power as electoral laws say that a president must win by more than 50 percent votes.
Tsvangirai joins regional leaders and the rest of the world who have in the past urged Mugabe to quit to save the little legacy left.
"I pray very hard that reason will prevail to him, I want to say this to (Mugabe) for the sake of his legacy and for the sake of his children, and he should listen to the sixth advice. If I were him, I would go and rest, but if he really wants to stand and contest just because he is a candidate of Zanu-PF, it is ok," said Tsvangirai.
He said Mugabe faces a humiliating defeat which will end the shaky inclusive government formed in 2009 through a Sadc-negotiated peace deal.
Tsvangirai said if Mugabe wanted to be embarrassed by a clean defeat, he should put his name as a presidential candidate in the next election.
"If he wants to stand as Zanu-PF candidate, it is well because I will not campaign as I will be resting at home and tell the people to choose. Ndinongoti kuvanhu sarudzai (chose between me and Mugabe) wonaiwo," said Tsvangirai.
Zimbabwe is set to go for elections next year or in 2013 in which Tsvangirai is likely to battle it out with Mugabe. Last week, Minister of Justice Patrick Chinamasa admitted that Mugabe is the only suitable candidate in Zanu-PF.
Before the rally, Tsvangirai toured Marondera, where he once again blasted civil servants for snubbing government programmes.
As has become the norm with senior government employees in the province, provincial administrators and their district counterparts, decided to go hiding during the Prime Minister's visit.
Just as in Murehwa two weeks ago, hired thugs attempted to disrupt Tsvangirai's tour.
The mob, travelling in a hired bus, is believed to be from Harare. The thugs were however, chased away by MDC youths and the party's provincial leadership.
Mashonaland East province is a known political hot-bed where fear still grips MDC supporters after the horrific experience of June 2008.
Despite intimidation and violence which is prevalent in the province, Tsvangirai said his party will not entertain another round of an inclusive government with Zanu-PF as it was frustrating.
"We want to ensure that when someone loses an election he must lose in a fair contest. There is no longer any chance of an inclusive government.
"What we did is enough. It is very frustrating I will not go again in an inclusive government," said Tsvangirai.
The MDC leader also said his party will soon conduct a national day of prayer as violence against his supporters is increasing.
"Zvotoita nokuti vamwe vanhu vane madhimoni, kubva nhasi every constituency ndoda kuti kuve ne prayer team. (some people are possessed with violence so we must form prayer teams in every constituency).
Before December we are going to organise a national day of prayer to pray for this country," said Tsvangirai.
Pressure is mounting on Mugabe to quit and recently, whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks exposed that the octogenarian leader's "close" allies in Zanu-PF not only want him to quit but were plotting his ouster with foreigners.
Addressing thousands of supporters in Marondera yesterday, Tsvangirai said it was unfortunate that Zanu-PF still believed that it could gain power through violence.
Tsvangirai's rally came hours after suspected Zanu-PF supporters travelling in a bus attempted to block the Prime Minister from addressing the rally. They chanted Zanu-PF songs and verbally abused Tsvangirai.
Mugabe has been at the helm of the country since independence in 1980 and is likely to be the presidential candidate for the former ruling party in the forthcoming elections set for 2012 or 2013.
Zanu-PF has no other candidate except Mugabe while party stalwarts are scared of challenging the 87-year-old leader.
Tsvangirai said it will be an "insult" for Mugabe to be defeated again in an election given his contributions to the country.
Tsvangirai said it was given that he would win elections and saw no reason in Mugabe humiliating himself.
In 2008, Tsvangirai trounced Mugabe but the veteran leader clung on to power as electoral laws say that a president must win by more than 50 percent votes.
Tsvangirai joins regional leaders and the rest of the world who have in the past urged Mugabe to quit to save the little legacy left.
"I pray very hard that reason will prevail to him, I want to say this to (Mugabe) for the sake of his legacy and for the sake of his children, and he should listen to the sixth advice. If I were him, I would go and rest, but if he really wants to stand and contest just because he is a candidate of Zanu-PF, it is ok," said Tsvangirai.
He said Mugabe faces a humiliating defeat which will end the shaky inclusive government formed in 2009 through a Sadc-negotiated peace deal.
Tsvangirai said if Mugabe wanted to be embarrassed by a clean defeat, he should put his name as a presidential candidate in the next election.
"If he wants to stand as Zanu-PF candidate, it is well because I will not campaign as I will be resting at home and tell the people to choose. Ndinongoti kuvanhu sarudzai (chose between me and Mugabe) wonaiwo," said Tsvangirai.
Zimbabwe is set to go for elections next year or in 2013 in which Tsvangirai is likely to battle it out with Mugabe. Last week, Minister of Justice Patrick Chinamasa admitted that Mugabe is the only suitable candidate in Zanu-PF.
Before the rally, Tsvangirai toured Marondera, where he once again blasted civil servants for snubbing government programmes.
As has become the norm with senior government employees in the province, provincial administrators and their district counterparts, decided to go hiding during the Prime Minister's visit.
Just as in Murehwa two weeks ago, hired thugs attempted to disrupt Tsvangirai's tour.
The mob, travelling in a hired bus, is believed to be from Harare. The thugs were however, chased away by MDC youths and the party's provincial leadership.
Mashonaland East province is a known political hot-bed where fear still grips MDC supporters after the horrific experience of June 2008.
Despite intimidation and violence which is prevalent in the province, Tsvangirai said his party will not entertain another round of an inclusive government with Zanu-PF as it was frustrating.
"We want to ensure that when someone loses an election he must lose in a fair contest. There is no longer any chance of an inclusive government.
"What we did is enough. It is very frustrating I will not go again in an inclusive government," said Tsvangirai.
The MDC leader also said his party will soon conduct a national day of prayer as violence against his supporters is increasing.
"Zvotoita nokuti vamwe vanhu vane madhimoni, kubva nhasi every constituency ndoda kuti kuve ne prayer team. (some people are possessed with violence so we must form prayer teams in every constituency).
Before December we are going to organise a national day of prayer to pray for this country," said Tsvangirai.
Source - Daily News
