Zimbabwe’s Tsvangirai Extends Stay in South Africa Amid Fears for His Safety

The Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was set to stay in South Africa on Sunday amid ongoing fears for his safety after an assassination plot was allegedly discovered against him, a party spokesman said.

“There are no plans for him to leave today,” said a spokesman, who said Tsvangirai would remain in Johannesburg where he arrived on Saturday after flying back from a trip to Northern Ireland.

Asked when he might return to Zimbabwe, the spokesman said: “It hasn’t changed since yesterday. It is still about assessing the options and making sure that things on the ground are ready for his return from a security perspective.”

Tsvangirai has been out of Zimbabwe since shortly after a first round of presidential elections on March 29 in which he beat veteran President Robert Mugabe, but not by enough to secure an outright victory.

The two men are scheduled to face each other in a run-off on June 27, but Tsvangirai is yet to return to begin campaigning amid suspected violence against his supporters and threats to his security.

He had been expected back on Saturday, but pulled out at the last minute after his party said it had discovered an assassination plot against him.

Source African Press Agency

Net News Publisher