Car Crash in Zimbabwe Leads to Suspicion That Tsvangirai Met “A Black Dog”
Mar 6th, 2009 by Richard Sollom
UPDATE (3/9): Tsvangirai says crash an accident (BBC):
Mr Tsvangirai said there was only a “one in a thousand” chance that the incident involved any foul play.
UPDATE (3/8): Public remorse from the distraught driver of the truck that ran into the Tsvangirais leads some to believe the crash was an accident. The Movement for Democratic Change continues to insist on a full and impartial investigation. (Source)
At PHR we follow the Zimbabwe news closely, so we were all distraught to hear this morning that the new Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, and his wife Susan were involved in a car accident today. The PM is apparently in stable condition at the private Avenues Clinic Hospital, but sadly his wife died.
Hours later, we received an email from a close colleague and friend in Harare. She conveyed some of her suspicions:
We are in shock here at the death of Morgan Tsvangirai’s wife today. His car met, as we say here, “A Black Dog”—an organized accident. ZANU-PF has done it many, many times to people who have gone against them.
She saw it first on SKY News.
Then she changed the channel to the local ZBC news—mouth piece of the government—which waited until the end of its broadcast to mention that the PM was involved in an accident and that his wife was killed. Our friend heard that the ZBC didn’t know how to handle the story, or they were not told to report it. She’s also heard that in case of any unrest, the police and army are in position with water cannons and ready to beat up the citizens.
She concluded:
This is the worst thing that could happen.
We couldn’t agree more and extend our heartfelt sympathies to Morgan Tsvangirai and his family for the tragic loss of his wife. We urge a full and independent investigation, so the facts can be known and appropriate action taken.
The death of PM Morgan Tsvangirai’s wife Susan is a tragedy. While the MDC has called for a full and independent investigation, it is important to resist coming to any conclusions before all the facts are gathered and confirmed. Today, many news outlets are reporting that the truck that collided with the Toyota Land Cruiser carrying the Tsvangirais along with their driver and an aide bore the insignia of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Scott Bauldaff writes for the Christian Science Monitor:
US embassy officials have stated that the truck which collided with Tsvangirai’s Land Cruiser belonged to a partner organization of the US government aid agency USAID. There are also reports that the driver was hired by a British organization. See this AFP report, for example.
It is fair to ask questions; it is also reasonable to resist drawing conclusions until all the facts are confirmed and analyzed.