.Zimbabwe PM's party wants crash probe
HARARE (AFP) — Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party on Saturday pushed for an independent probe of the car crash that killed his wife and injured him, as an official said a US aid truck was involved.
Tsvangirai, a longtime rival of President Robert Mugabe who recently became prime minister in a unity government aimed at ending months of political turmoil, remained in stable condition in hospital after the crash on Friday.
"Police are making their own investigation, we are also making our own," said Finance Minister Tendai Biti, also the number two leader of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party.
Biti charged that the crash could have been avoided had Tsvangirai been travelling with a police escort.
An MDC lawmaker, Eddie Cross, said "the party will insist on an independent investigation."
Tsvangirai and his wife Susan, 50, were travelling from Harare to Buhera, their rural hometown where the new prime minister was due to speak at a rally on Saturday. His wife died at the scene of the crash.
Police on Friday said Tsvangirai's car collided with a truck which crossed into the oncoming lane and side-swiped the prime minister's vehicle, causing it to roll several times.
More details of the truck emerged on Saturday, with a US embassy official in Harare saying it belonged to a US aid agency "partner" for AIDS drug delivery.
"The truck that was involved in the crash belonged to a partner of USAID. It's not a US government vehicle," the official said on condition of anonymity.
"It belongs to a partner of USAID who deliver HIV/AIDS and other medical supplies. The vehicle is used in a project to provide antiretroviral drugs. Whether it was carrying any aid at the time, I am not sure."
ABC News in the United States cited unnamed US officials as saying the truck belonged to a contractor working for the US and British governments.
The truck, which had a USAID insignia on it, was purchased by US government funds and its driver was hired by a British development agency, the report said. USAID stands for the US Agency for International Development.
Mugabe and his wife Grace visited Tsvangirai in hospital on Friday evening and later sent a letter of condolence also released to reporters.
"We were all celebrating this major development (the unity government) when tragedy struck. It's a sad occurrence indeed," said Mugabe.
The crash raised new concerns about the success of the government that has been shaken by the arrest of Roy Bennett, a one-time white farmer who became a top aide to Tsvangirai, and disputes over the appointments of top officials.
"The accident has presented a very challenging hurdle for the Zimbabwe fragile accord," said Daniel Makina, an analyst based at the University of South Africa.
"People are not going to stop speculating and will probably start pointing fingers. Unfounded and damaging speculation could be disastrous."
Tsvangirai claims to have been the target of four assassination attempts including one in 1997 when he said assailants tried to throw him out of his office window.
He has also survived a severe beating by security forces.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Saturday called for "light to be shed rapidly on this accident."
As Zimbabwe's political and economic crises escalated, Tsvangirai and Mugabe finally agreed to form a unity government earlier this year following intense international pressure.
The accord between the two arch-rivals was meant to end nearly a year of political turmoil following disputed elections last March.
Since he took office, Tsvangirai has been appealing to the international community to help fund the country's economic recovery.
Zimbabwe, once seen as a regional breadbasket and post-colonial success story, now faces the world's highest inflation rate, major food shortages and a deadly cholera epidemic.
Tsvangirai's brother, Casper, told reporters Saturday that funeral arrangements for Susan, a mother of six, would be announced at a later stage.
AFP
Strange news
Tsvangirai, a longtime rival of President Robert Mugabe who recently became prime minister in a unity government aimed at ending months of political turmoil, remained in stable condition in hospital after the crash on Friday.
"Police are making their own investigation, we are also making our own," said Finance Minister Tendai Biti, also the number two leader of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party.
Biti charged that the crash could have been avoided had Tsvangirai been travelling with a police escort.
An MDC lawmaker, Eddie Cross, said "the party will insist on an independent investigation."
Tsvangirai and his wife Susan, 50, were travelling from Harare to Buhera, their rural hometown where the new prime minister was due to speak at a rally on Saturday. His wife died at the scene of the crash.
Police on Friday said Tsvangirai's car collided with a truck which crossed into the oncoming lane and side-swiped the prime minister's vehicle, causing it to roll several times.
More details of the truck emerged on Saturday, with a US embassy official in Harare saying it belonged to a US aid agency "partner" for AIDS drug delivery.
"The truck that was involved in the crash belonged to a partner of USAID. It's not a US government vehicle," the official said on condition of anonymity.
"It belongs to a partner of USAID who deliver HIV/AIDS and other medical supplies. The vehicle is used in a project to provide antiretroviral drugs. Whether it was carrying any aid at the time, I am not sure."
ABC News in the United States cited unnamed US officials as saying the truck belonged to a contractor working for the US and British governments.
The truck, which had a USAID insignia on it, was purchased by US government funds and its driver was hired by a British development agency, the report said. USAID stands for the US Agency for International Development.
Mugabe and his wife Grace visited Tsvangirai in hospital on Friday evening and later sent a letter of condolence also released to reporters.
"We were all celebrating this major development (the unity government) when tragedy struck. It's a sad occurrence indeed," said Mugabe.
The crash raised new concerns about the success of the government that has been shaken by the arrest of Roy Bennett, a one-time white farmer who became a top aide to Tsvangirai, and disputes over the appointments of top officials.
"The accident has presented a very challenging hurdle for the Zimbabwe fragile accord," said Daniel Makina, an analyst based at the University of South Africa.
"People are not going to stop speculating and will probably start pointing fingers. Unfounded and damaging speculation could be disastrous."
Tsvangirai claims to have been the target of four assassination attempts including one in 1997 when he said assailants tried to throw him out of his office window.
He has also survived a severe beating by security forces.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Saturday called for "light to be shed rapidly on this accident."
As Zimbabwe's political and economic crises escalated, Tsvangirai and Mugabe finally agreed to form a unity government earlier this year following intense international pressure.
The accord between the two arch-rivals was meant to end nearly a year of political turmoil following disputed elections last March.
Since he took office, Tsvangirai has been appealing to the international community to help fund the country's economic recovery.
Zimbabwe, once seen as a regional breadbasket and post-colonial success story, now faces the world's highest inflation rate, major food shortages and a deadly cholera epidemic.
Tsvangirai's brother, Casper, told reporters Saturday that funeral arrangements for Susan, a mother of six, would be announced at a later stage.
AFP
Strange news
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