'Mugabe must go with dignity'

2008-04-02 21:40

Cape Town - South African Nobel peace prize winner Desmond Tutu on Wednesday said he hoped Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe would "step down with dignity" after weekend general elections.

"That is democracy. Democracy is, you change government when people decide," Tutu told reporters in Cape Town, as the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) was shown to have lost its parliamentary majority.

"I mean when your time is over, your time is over," he was quoted as saying by the Sapa.

While the Zimbabwe electoral commission has held off from announcing results of the presidential poll, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change claims its leader Morgan Tsvangirai has secured a clear majority over Mugabe.

The former Anglican archbishop Tutu, once dubbed by Mugabe as "that evil little bishop", said the veteran Zimbabwean leader could have had a fantastic legacy had he stepped down a decade ago.

"He did a fantastic job, and it's such a great shame, because he had a wonderful legacy. If he had stepped down 10 or so years ago he would be held in very, very high regard."

Tutu said the 84-year-old leader should still be honoured for his leading role in the liberation war against the whites-only regime of Ian Smith in the former Rhodesia.

"And I still want to say we must honour him for the things that he did do, and just say what a shame. We hope he will be able to step down gracefully, with dignity."

- AFP