BUHERA - Dzingirai Tsvangirai 78, the father of the MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai, died at the weekend at Murambinda hospital in Buhera after a short illness and was buried on Wednesday at his rural home at Makuvise village. He is survived by his wife, Lydia, nine children and several grandchildren.
Tributes for the man affectionately called Chibwe continue to pour. Political differences were put aside when the leader of a small breakaway faction of the MDC, Arthur Mutambara issued a statement of condolence for the Tsvangirai family. Mutambara's statement read in part;
"On behalf of the MDC party and on my behalf, I wish to express my sincere condolences to the Tsvangirai family during this sad and sorrowful moment of bereavement..As we share this moment of grief and pain with the Tsvangirai family, the name Chibwe Tsvangirai shall always remain in our fond memories. We shall always remember him for having nurtured one of the gallant sons of Zimbabwe, Morgan who has contributed immensely to the fight for greater political freedom and democracy in Zimbabwe."
A source in the breakaway faction poured scorn on Mutambara's statement saying he had been advised to do so only as a public relations stunt and not because he wanted to. While it is has been difficult to judge the veracity of that allegation, Mutambara's move has been welcomed by Tsvangirai according to sources at Harvest House. 'What ordinary people don't realise is that politicians can differ in public but that does not mean they do not talk to each other,' the source said.
Riot police disrupt Tsvangirai funeral in Buhera
22 June 2006
HARARE - About 25 police some carrying guns and teargas canisters stormed the funeral of the father of opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party leader Morgan Tsvangirai, ordering mourners to remove the party's regalia and stop sloganeering.
Tsvangirai's father, Dzingai Chibwe, died at MurambindaHospital in rural Buhera district last Sunday at the age of 78. He was buried at a family compound in the arid district, about 200 km south-east of Harare.
But the burial ceremony - a hallowed occasion in the local Shona culture - was thrown into chaos as police attempted to force the about 1 000 mourners to remove MDC T-shirts and bandanas in yet another clear example of harassment of the opposition leaders and supporters.
The police, who were said to have been in a fighting mood, bizarrely claimed that the mourners were violating the government's tough Public Order and Security Act (POSA) that forbids political gatherings without prior permission from the police.
Tsvangirai's spokesman William Bango told ZimOnline last night that the police only backed down after they were challenged by MDC secretary general Tendai Biti, a lawyer by profession and other Members of Parliament (MPs) of the opposition party to specify the section of POSA they alleged mourners had violated.
"That was a straight act of harassment on Mr Tsvangirai. The police said the mourners were in violation of POSA but that was resisted by some MPs who challenged the police to show the sections of POSA which the mourners had violated," said Bango.
Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena last night said he had not been briefed on the matter and could therefore not comment. "I am just coming out of a meeting so I haven't heard about that. I will have to check," he said.
Under the tough security law, it is illegal for Zimbabweans to assemble in groups of more than three to discuss politics without first seeking approval from the police.
But the MDC and human rights groups often accuse President Robert Mugabe and his government of using the security law to cripple the main opposition which has posed the greatest challenge to his 26-year old grip on power. Mugabe denies the charge. - www.zimonline.co.za
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