SOUTH AFRICA: Tutu pays tribute to Mugabe's past achievements and hopes for peaceful transition in Zimbabwe

Record ID: 454613

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: Tutu pays tribute to Mugabe's past achievements and hopes for peaceful transition in Zimbabwe
  • Date: 3rd April 2008
  • Summary: (BN14) CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, (APRIL 2, 2008), (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU, SPEAKING TO REPORTERS, SAYING: "You know he is someone we were very proud of. He did a fantastic job and it's such a great shame, because he has a wonderful legacy, if he had stepped down 10 of so years ago, he would be held in very, very high regard. And I still want to say we must honour him for the things that he did do, and just say what a shame and we hope he will be able to step down gracefully with dignity." TUTU TALKING TO WOMAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU SAYING: "Well I hope everyone of us would say we don't want to see that country that has suffered already so much descend into chaos and violence and I just hope I mean that they will be able to have a relatively smooth transition and I would want people to remember that President Mugabe did a wonderful job until fairly recently and we must not forget that, we must not forget that instead of revenge when he won, he allowed Smith (Ian Smith) to continue as a parliamentarian and so let's try to remember that for him." TUTU TALKING TO PEOPLE
  • Embargoed: 18th April 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: International Relations,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVACVZNE0GBRYRZCVNQE1A20Q314
  • Story Text: South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu reacted on Wednesday (April 2) to news that President Robert Mugabe had been defeated for the first time in a presidential poll.
    Official results, which have trickled out slowly since last Saturday's election, showed that Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF could not outvote the combined opposition seats in parliament.
    Official figures said the mainstream Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) had taken 105 seats, a breakaway faction 9 and an independent 1 in the 210-seat parliament. Mugabe's ZANU-PF has so far taken 94.
    Tutu paid homage to Mugabe's past achievements. "You know he is someone we were very proud of. He did a fantastic job and it's such a great shame, because he has a wonderful legacy, if he had stepped down 10 of so years ago, he would be held in very, very high regard. And I still want to say we must honour him for the things that he did do, and just say what a shame and we hope he will be able to step down gracefully with dignity," Tutu said of Mugabe.
    Mugabe, 84, faced an unprecedented challenge in the elections after being widely blamed for the economic collapse of the once prosperous nation which the former guerrilla leader has ruled since independence from Britain 28 years ago.
    The mainstream opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) faction said its leader Morgan Tsvangirai had won 50.3 percent of the presidential vote and Mugabe 43.8 percent according to its own tallies of results posted outside polling stations.
    No official results have emerged in the presidential election and the government dismissed the opposition claim.
    MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti said Tsvangirai had an absolute majority, enough for outright victory, but he would accept a second round runoff against Mugabe "under protest". Biti appealed to Mugabe to concede defeat and avoid "embarrassment". Analysts said the president was likely to be humiliated in a runoff.
    Tutu expressed hope that the transition of power would be peaceful. He said: "Well I hope everyone of us would say we don't want to see that country that has suffered already so much descend into chaos and violence and I just hope I mean that they will be able to have a relatively smooth transition and I would want people to remember that President Mugabe did a wonderful job until fairly recently."
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