ZIMBABWE: OPPOSITION PARTY CLAIM POLICE SHOT AT CONVOY OF LEADER MORGAN TSVANGIRAI/ SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTION OBSERVERS ATTACKED BY MILITANTS.

Record ID: 584864

  • Title: ZIMBABWE: OPPOSITION PARTY CLAIM POLICE SHOT AT CONVOY OF LEADER MORGAN TSVANGIRAI/ SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTION OBSERVERS ATTACKED BY MILITANTS.
  • Date: 23rd February 2002
  • Summary: (W3) HARARE, ZIMBABWE (FEBRUARY 22, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV/GV: CITY/ TRAFFIC (2 SHOTS) 0.07 2. MV: LEARNMORE JONGWE, OPPOSITION MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (MDC) PARTY'S PUBLICITY AND INFORMATION SECRETARY 0.11 3. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) LEARNMORE JONGWE, OPPOSITION MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (MDC) PARTY'S PUBLICITY AND INFORMATION SECRETARY SAYING: "Towards midday the MDC president who was on his way to Maringire village had a stop over at a place called Ngundu Growth Point. Now the cars began to swerve. The police vehicle which had been keeping surveillance over the MDC president's entourage then began to shout to the public saying that this gathering was illegal. When that was happening police from Norway started firing teargas canisters at the dispersing crowd. Then the MDC president got into his vehicle and his convoy left. The police which was also now in hot pursuit of the MDC president's convoy then shot at the convoy twice."/ VARIOUS CUTAWAYS (7 SHOTS) 0.56 4. GV: EXTERIOR MEIKLES HOTEL 1.00 5. MV/GV: REPORTERS ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE/ SOUTH AFRICAN OBSERVERS IN THE ROOM CHATTING/ MAIN SOUTH AFRICAN DELEGATION ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE/ NEWS CONFERENCE (7 SHOTS) 1.23 6. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) SAM MOTSUENYANE, HEAD OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN DELEGATION SAYING: "The South African observer mission to the Presidential elections in Zimbabwe today received the sad news of an attack on its two members in Kwekwe in the midlands province in Zimbabwe."/ PEOPLE LISTENING/ "This incident occurred whilst they were meeting with a delegation of the MDC headed by Mr Abednego Malinga MP (member of parliament) for Silubela."/ MOTSUENYANE, SAYING: V"45 minutes after arrival at the house the building was attacked by a group of about 200 youths. At that stage 30 people were inside the offices."/ PEOPLE LISTENING/ "Four people who were in the house were injured and admitted to hospital for treatment."/ PEOPLE LISTENING/ "We would like to express our strong condemnation of this act and state that it is inimical to a free and fair electoral process."/ WOMAN TAKING NOTES/ "It was just an amorphous group (attackers) that came and we cannot associate them with any people that we are aware of. It was a mob. But these must be people who have a grudge against the MDC or something against them." 3.03 7. MV: END OF NEWS CONFERENCE AND DELEGATION LEAVING (3 SHOTS) 3.14 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 10th March 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: HARARE, ZIMBABWE
  • Country: Zimbabwe
  • Reuters ID: LVA7MFKODOQGC4M91S8FMWN3AA08
  • Story Text: Zimbabwe's opposition party has said that police shot
    at the convoy of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai whilst
    two South African election observers were caught up in a
    separate attack by pro-government militants as President
    Robert Mugabe returns to the campaign trail.



    South African observers had warned on Friday (February
    22) that a wave of political violence threatens chances for a
    free and fair election in Zimbabwe on March 9 and 10.

    The leader of the country's opposition Movement for
    Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai, poses the
    strongest challenge to President Robert Mugabe in 22 years in
    power.

    MDC head of information, Learnmore Jongwe, explained that
    Tsvangirai had stopped to greet supporters in a village about
    70 km (43 miles) from Masvingo when the shooting occurred.

    "Towards midday the MDC president who was on his way to
    Maringire village had a stop over at a place called Ngundu
    Growth Point. Now the cars began to swerve. The police vehicle
    which had been keeping surveillance over the MDC president's
    entourage then began to shout to the public saying that this
    gathering was illegal. When that was happening police from
    Norway started firing teargas canisters at the dispersing
    crowd. Then the MDC president got into his vehicle and his
    convoy left. The police which was also now in hot pursuit of
    the MDC president's convoy then shot at the convoy twice,"
    Jongwe said.

    Tsvangirai continued on to a political rally in Masvingo,
    where the MDC has a strong following in the city. Mugabe's
    supporters hold sway in the countryside.

    Police chief spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said he was
    unaware of the incident but would make checks. A police
    spokesman in Masvingo also said he had heard of no incident.

    The run-up to the election has been marred by allegations
    of state-sponsored violence and intimidation.

    In the first incident involving foreign election
    observers, two South Africans were holed up in an MDC office
    in the central town of Kwekwe by 200 pro-government militants
    armed with stones and iron bars.

    The head of the South African election mission Sam
    Motseunyane condemned the incident though the two members were
    not injured. Earlier reports had said the pair had been hurt
    during the attack.

    "45 minutes after arrival at the house the building was
    attacked by a group of about 200 youths. At that stage 30
    people were inside the offices..Four people who were in the
    house were injured and admitted to hospital for treatment...We
    would like to express our strong condemnation of this act and
    state that it is inimical to a free and fair electoral
    process...It was just an amorphous group (attackers) that came
    and we cannot associate them with any people that we are aware
    of. It was a mob. But these must be people who have a grudge
    against the MDC or something against them," Motseunyane said.

    The MDC said five of its supporters were injured in the
    attack.

    The South African Department of Foreign Affairs said that
    Zimbabwean police had arrested two youths in connection with
    the incident.

    South Africa and the 14-member Southern African
    Development Community (SADC) have the largest number of
    foreign observers in Zimbabwe since the European Union pulled
    out earlier this week and imposed sanctions on the Harare
    government.

    The MDC says more than 100 of its supporters have been
    killed in political violence since February 2000 when
    militants loyal to Mugabe began invading white-owned farms.

    The government has denied responsibility for the violence
    and accused the opposition of fuelling civil unrest.

    President George W. Bush on Friday ordered a ban on the
    entry into the United States of Mugabe and senior members of
    his government and their families, and people who through
    their business dealings benefited from his government's
    policies.

    The European Union on Monday imposed a visa ban and asset
    freeze on 20 top Zimbabwean officials and withdrew its
    election observer mission from the country.

    The former British colony is also facing a severe food
    crisis because of an economic downturn and the often violent
    seizure of white-owned farms, according to U.N. officials
    supplying emergency food aid.

    Mugabe hits the election campaign trail on Saturday under
    the new US sanctions for alledged use of political violence
    and intimidation.

    He is due to address a rally in drought-stricken
    Matabeleland North provinMugabe's government.



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