Zimbabwe media have not yet reported the death of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his wife, Susan, were travelling with an aide towards his home town of Buhera, south of Harare when his car was involved in a crash on Friday evening.
The prime minister and MDC leader, who was slightly injured, was ferried to a private hospital in Harare. His driver and an aide survived the crash unscathed.
International media including The Times, Sky News and BBC have all reported that Susan was killed in the accident around 6pm on Friday.
However, as late as Saturday morning, Zimbabwe State media had still not reported that Susan had died.
All they would say was that the prime minister and his wife were involved in an accident along the Harare to Masvingo road near the Buhera turnoff."A back-up security vehicle ferried them to a private hospital in Harare," said a State television news bulletin.
Police said a truck owned by the US embassy was travelling in the opposite direction on the narrow and uneven road when it crashed into the prime minister’s vehicle.
Police said the driver of the US embassy vehicle encroached into the opposite lane and hit the side of Tsvangirai’s Toyota Land Cruiser vehicle.
As a result of the side collision, the prime minister’s car rolled three times.
None of the occupants of the US embassy truck were hurt. The driver was later arrested and held at Featherstone Police station.
The MDC has not issued a statement on Susan’s death. The party privately said Tvsangirai’s family and doctors would make the pronouncement Saturday
that the mother of six had died tragically.
On Friday night, President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace visited Tsvangirai in hospital. The former arch rivals exchanged a few words.
Nurses at the private hospital said the prime minister struggled to sit up and talk to his many visitors that included diplomats.
For now Zimbabweans – still reeling in shock after the accident – continue to wait for official confirmation of Susan’s death.
thetimes
Post published in: News