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Tsvangirai 'British puppet'
17/04/2008 10:46 - (SA)
Harare - Zimbabwe's government on Thursday accused opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai of treason and of working with former colonial power Britain to topple President Robert Mugabe in recent elections.
Responding to a chorus of international criticism of Zimbabwe's long delay in issuing results of the March 29 vote, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa accused Tsvangirai - who said he defeated Mugabe in the election - of being a British puppet.
At a summit of the United Nations and African Union on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "No one thinks, having seen the results of polling stations, that President Mugabe has won."
Chinamasa responded: "It is clear from the correspondence that Tsvangirai along with Brown are seeking regime change in Zimbabwe, and on the part of Tsvangirai, this is treasonous."
Violent militia crackdown
He added in a statement in state media: "There is no doubting the consequences for acting in a treasonous manner."
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) accused Mugabe of organising a violent militia crackdown to help him steal the March 29 elections, in which his Zanu-PF party lost control of parliament for the first time in his 28-year rule.
No official results had been released from the presidential vote, which had been embroiled in a series of legal cases.
The Group of Eight advanced nations were the latest to join the international criticism on Thursday, expressing "deep concern" about rising tension in Zimbabwe.
G8 foreign ministers urged a "speedy, credible and genuinely democratic resolution" to the situation and a swift release of the results, according to a statement released by this year's group host, Japan.
"They stress that violence and intimidation must have no place in this process," a statement added.
Mbeki under increasing criticism
Brown was speaking at a summit in New York, where Western states and the United Nations urged action to ensure a fair outcome from the Zimbabwe election.
But African countries avoided the issue and Security Council president South Africa opposed discussion of Zimbabwe. President
Thabo Mbeki was under increasing criticism at home for insisting on a softly approach of quiet diplomacy in Zimbabwe.
Chinamasa accused Brown of taking a hard line to promote British interests, undermine Zimbabwe's electoral processes and mislead the international community.
"We tell him (Brown) clearly and without ambiguity that we are not a colony of the British," said Chinamasa, repeating a frequent line by Mugabe who painted London, not Tsvangirai as his real opponent.
Zimbabwe's economy was in ruins, with 80% unemployment, chronic food shortages and the world's worst inflation rate of almost 165 000%. Mugabe was widely blamed for the collapse and critics said the country's misery would only end when he is replaced.
- Reuters
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Zimbabwe Special Report
