Zimbabwe Prime Minister: Accident or Hit?

As Zimbabwe mourns the tragic death of Susan Nyaradzo Tsvangirai there is a lot of speculation around the cause of the accident last Friday. Robert Mugabe, the 85 year old President of Zimbabwe and his ZANU-PF party have lost so much credibility, that they were the first suspects in the car accident which killed the Prime Minister's wife and almost killed Morgan Tsvangirai as well. It is still a miracle that he walked away from the accident scene with relatively minor injuries.

There have been a series of suspicious car accidents in the history of ZANU-PF. From Herbet Chitepo and Josiah Tongogara, to Chris Ushewokunze, Moven Mahachi, Zororo Duri, Peter Pamire, Border Gezi and Elliot Manyika. And there are others who died in a suspicious manner. And all these were ZANU-PF people and no one has ever counted the deaths of people who were from opposition movements and perceived to be enemies by ZANU-PF. Zimbabweans have over the years come to believe that Mugabe and his henchmen orchestrate car accidents to eliminate opponents. This conviction is so strong that when news broke out of the Tsvangirai accident last Friday night, there was a unanimous opinion that it was Mugabe and his people who "arranged" for it to happen.

There is even a report that there was "panic" in the President's Office when they heard the news because Mugabe knew that fingers will automatically point to him. Apparently he called all his senior people to check whether anybody had anything to do with it. No wonder Mugabe, his wife Grace and almost the entire ZANU-PF leadership was quick to get to the Avenues Clinic on Friday evening to see Tsvangirai. They also made sure that the press and TV crew was there in order to give this visit as much publicity as possible. Mugabe even wrote an open letter to Tsvangirai in "his time of grief." This is the first time in the history of Zimbabwe that such a high powered ZANU-PF delegation led by Mugabe descended on a hospital to visit someone who a few months ago they all vowed that he will never rule Zimbabwe, someone they deeply despised and accused of being a puppet of the West. Someone they have on four occasions in the last 10 years attempted to kill. There was so much irony about that picture of Robert and Grace Mugabe "deeply touched" by Tsvangirai's condition in hospital and the loss of the his wife.
When the dust has settled, we will need to review all those images once more and understand their rich symbolism.

Some people have speculated that Mugabe was shedding crocodile tears and was not genuine and that deep down he wished Tsvangirai had died, even if he himself might not have caused the accident. Others think he was concerned about the suspicion and had to react quickly by going to the clinic. Others however think Mugabe really knows he needs Tsvangirai and wants him unharmed, because Tsvangirai is the only person at the moment who can lead Zimbabwe out of the chaos it is in and facilitate for Mugabe to get a dignified exit. We might never know the real truth behind this tragedy, but the Prime Minister himself who has just arrived back from Botswana this afternoon seems to believe that it was a mere traffic accident. At least that is the opinion he is preaching publicly.

As a matter of fact it is a position which is more likely to be closer to be truth than the possibility of a Mugabe hit. The circumstances around the accident point more towards an accident than a hit. Unlike in all the past "accidents", the identities of the truck drivers involved were never publicised and the owner of the cars involved was kept a secret. The police would simply say they are investigating and these investigations never came to an end. In this case, the owners of the trucks as well as the driver are known and it looks like Mugabe has nothing to hide.
But having said that, it doesn't mean that Mugabe and his regime are innocent. They carry all the blame for this particular accident because of the following.

1. Terrible Road Conditions in Zimbabwe
Mugabe has destroyed the good infrastructure he inherited from the previous government. The roads are in such a poor state that there is danger lurking at every corner. Roads are no longer regularly maintained, potholes all over. It is possible the truck driver veered to the other side to avoid a huge pothole or some damage on the road.
This specific road between Beitbridge-Masvingo-Chivhu-Harare has become so bad that many accidents and deaths occur on this road. Of course they don't get the publicity like the one involving the Prime Minister.

2. Trucks on Roads Because of the Need for Aid
The number of haulage trucks on Zimbabwe's highways has increased tremendously over the last 5 to 10 years. Because there is almost nothing that is being manufactured within the country, most goods have to come from outside the country. Most of them come from South Africa or Botswana. Be they medicines, cooking oil, mealie-meal, petrol, car parts, clothes etc. Many shops and clinics and pharmacies stock South African products. This requires transportation of these goods throughout the country. Trucks are a common and dangerous feature of Zimbabwe's roads today. Any driver on Zimbabwe roads has had a series of near death experiences with these trucks. The truck which collided with the Prime Minister's car was carrying humanitarian aid. The need for humanitarian aid is because of Mugabe's mismanagement.

3. Tsvangirai's Lack of Police Convoy
The motorcade that accompanies Robert Mugabe is quite a sight. One can count over 15 cars, army trucks, an ambulance (with a doctor inside), police cars etc. Whenever he approaches the police on motorbikes and cars who are usually well ahead of Mugabe's car stop any oncoming traffic. Cars have to stop and pull out of the way so that no car is moving as Mugabe passes. An accident like the one on Friday would never happen with Mugabe's motorcade because the truck involved would have been stopped way before Mugabe passed. Mugabe is one of the most paranoid presidents in a country not at war, in spite of his claim that he is a man for the people (the same people he is afraid of). He is heavily guarded. Tsvangirai has always found this security around Mugabe disgusting and he despises it. That could also explain why he didn't push to get the same level of security as Mugabe. Of course he overlooked that danger could come from a traffic accident and not necessarily from someone trying to kill him. The Zimbabwe VIP protection unit should have arranged a police escort for all the trips Tsvangirai takes since he became Prime Minister.

From this perspective, Mugabe might not have engineered the accident (not this time) but the blame lies to a great extent on his shoulders.

As we mourn Susan Nyaradzo (which means "comfort") Tsvangirai, we find comfort in the fact that she has been on the right side of history, has been a role model for courage in times of great adversity (many wondered how she managed to handle the stress and dangers surrounding Morgan's safety over the last 10 years).
We also pray and wish the Prime Minister great comfort and strength in this difficult time. He has suffered such great pain in the past (4 attempted murders, brutal police beatings, jail time etc.) but the loss of his wife in this manner might be greatest pain he ever suffered.
But he is a man who knows and believes strongly in his calling. We want to believe what the MDC Secretary-General and Finance Minister (Tendai Biti) said " we have taken blows before and we will also take this one and move on."
There is so much work to do in Zimbabwe and Tsvangirai is needed now more than ever.