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‘Attack on Tsvangirai over burial baseless’

Politics
THE MDC-T has hit back at Zanu PF officials and the State media for vilifying its leader Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who has been accused of boycotting national events to attend private functions.

THE MDC-T has hit back at Zanu PF officials and the State media for vilifying its leader Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who has been accused of boycotting national events to attend private functions. Report by Wonai MasvingiseSenior Reporter

The State media this week attacked Tsvangirai for prioritising a private visit to Nigeria while other government leaders were attending the burial of Higher and Tertiary Education minister Stan Mudenge on Monday.

MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora said it was folly for Zanu PF leaders to accuse Tsvangirai of boycotting Zanu PF officials’ funerals, adding President Robert Mugabe had never attended any funeral of an MDC-T official except that of the late Susan Tsvangirai.

Mwonzora said Tsvangirai was not compelled to attend every Zanu PF minister’s burial.

“We buried Minister (Eliphas) Mukonoweshuro, Mugabe was not at the burial, we again buried Minister (Tichaona) Mudzingwa, and Mugabe was not at the burial. I have never seen Mugabe at a funeral service for an MDC official except at the church service for the late Susan Tsvangirai,” said Mwonzora.

A State-run daily newspaper on Tuesday lampooned Tsvangirai for failing to attend the burial of Mudenge. The MDC-T leader was on an official visit to Nigeria, according to his spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka .

Mwonzora said there were other Zanu PF officials who had also failed to attend Mudenge’s burial for various reasons.

“Even Vice-President (John) Nkomo did not attend Mudenge’s burial and nobody said anything. The PM was not at the burial because he was attending to important issues in Nigeria, including meeting Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. He was attending to issues to do with orphans which are beneficial to Zimbabwe. Although he could not attend, he was well represented at the burial,” he said.

The State media also reported that Tsvangirai had travelled to Nigeria on an unsanctioned trip and had taken his wife, Elizabeth Macheka, with him. The PM’s wife was, however, spotted at the High Court yesterday attending the bail application hearing of MDC-T activists accused of the murder of a policeman.