Tsvangirai cancels address after fatal accident

MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai last Friday had to cancel his scheduled address at the party's Midlands North provincial meeting after some of the delegates to the meeting were involved in a road accident which killed 10 people along the Gokwe-Empress Road.

The accident, which involved a Harare-bound InterAfrica bus, killed the party's Gokwe-Kabuyuni district chairperson Sunshine Siyamandanda and injured several other party activists, among them Gokwe-Kana councillor Mazhambe Zisumbu.

Witnesses said the bus burst its front tyre and veered off the road just 40km outside Gokwe.

MDC-T Midlands provincial secretary Felix Zifunze told NewsDay yesterday that the former Prime Minister had to abandon the meeting shortly before the start.

In 2011, five MDC-T members perished at the same spot after their vehicle overturned while on their way from the party's anniversary celebrations.

"The president (Tsvangirai) had to abandon the meeting because of the accident and ended up joining the families of those who perished in the accident including our Gokwe-Kabuyuni chairperson Shoeshine Siyamandada who died in the fatal accident," Zifunze said.

MDC-T national executive member Willard Somerai said Tsvangirai only learnt about the accident on arriving in Kwekwe.

"He was already in Kwekwe, but did not proceed to the venue after receiving the sad news. Now a new date will have to be set for the induction meeting," Somerai said.

Tsvangirai was also expected to deal with the thorny nomination issue of provincial representatives into the party's national executive.

Midlands North is yet to nominate its two representatives following serious allegations of attempts to rig the process in a three-man race pitting Somerai, Blessing Chebundo and former Health minister Henry Madzorera.

Meanwhile, Siyamandanda will be buried today at his rural home in Gokwe.