This week, the South African Sunday Sun newspaper claimed the truck
which crashed into the couple's car was owned by Saviour Kasukuwere, a
former Central intelligence organisation spy agent, now minister of
youth and gender.
In another report by a Zimbabwean Sunday The Standard, the truck was
said to be owned by aid organisation John Snow international (JSI), but
the company had suspended an administrator and launched an inquiry into
why it was being driven by someone other than their
own drivers.
The truck was believed to be carrying AiDS drugs for a project funded
by the United States Agency for international Development (USAID).
Although The Zimbabwean was not able to verify these details
independently, the truck is reported to have carried white TCE number
plates. These are allocated by the foreign affairs department to
organisations that have special permits – often non-governmental
organisations
(NGOs) or others working with international bodies such as the United Nations or foreign embassies.
The revelations are rousing suspicions that the crash was more sinister
than a simple accident – although Morgan Tsvangirai has said he is
satisfied with the official explanation. A former Harare CiD officer
told the Sunday Sun that inquiries showed the truck belonged to Cum
oil, a company owned by Kasukuwere.
The truck was purchased using USAID funds by a contractor – possibly John Snow international.
He said his investigations were not complete and they were not looking for scapegoats, only the truth.
But he declined to reveal who hired him to investigate the crash.
Kasukuwere, who has worked as Mugabe's bodyguard, was one of the first
government officials to visit the prime Minister in hospital at the
Avenues Clinic in Harare.
The Standard newspaper reported that John Snow international (JSI), the
contractor for this AiDS project, issued a confidential memo three days
after the accident, stating that although the truck belonged to them it
was not driven by a JSI driver on the day.
According to the newspaper, the JSI memo read: As you may have heard,
there was a tragic car accident on Friday (March 6) in Zimbabwe in
which the prime Minister (Morgan Tsvangirai) was injured and his wife
was killed.
The vehicle involved in this accident was registered to USAID/Deliver
(a JSI project) although not driven by a JSI driver, as far as we know.
At this point, further details about the accident are unknown.
Last week, the United States Embassy in Harare issued a statement
clarifying the ownership of the truck saying it was purchased with
USAID funds by a contractor and belonged to the contractor.
Chris Mhike, the lawyer of the driver of the truck, said his client hit
a hump and lost control of the truck before hitting Tsvangirai's
Landcruiser.
But a correspondent for The Standard, Simon Muchemwa, visited the scene
of the crash and insisted there were no humps on that stretch of road.
His comments were corroborated by Deputy Mines Minister and MDC
legislator Murisi Zwizwayi, who also visited the crash scene, and who
also said there were no potholes or humps. it's just a clear road, he
remarked.