Maravi

Tsvangirai’s outbursts are ‘plain silly’, says Charamba

Tsvangirai’s outbursts are ‘plain silly’, says Charamba
Written by George Chellah in Harare, Zimbabwe
Friday, December 19, 2008 12:47:10 PM

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe’s spokesperson George Charamba has described MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s outbursts and demands over his passport as ‘plain silly’.
And Charamba said the west’s plan for intervention has come to grief because they have no nerve for war in Zimbabwe.

Charamba, who was reacting to Swedish Ambassador Sten Rylander’s revelation that he had tried to convince Tsvangirai to return home and that he had also pleaded with the government to give the MDC leader a passport, said on state media that Tsvangirai breached the time scale of his Emergency Travelling Document (ETD) and was now scared to return home.

"He does not need a passport to cross the borders of Morocco, Senegal, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. He needs a passport…what more a diplomatic passport, to cross the border of Zimbabwe, his homeland,” said Charamba whilst listing countries Tsvangirai has recently been to without a passport. "It’s plain silly. The truth of the matter is that he has breached the time scale of his ETD and thinks government may arrest him. There is neither rhyme nor reason to his argument.”

Charamba said Tsvangirai refused to travel to Swaziland for a SADC troika meeting last time on an ETD but used the same document to travel to Botswana.

He said the Swedish Ambassador was trying to be righteous when his home country was pushing for illegal regime change.

Charamba accused Ambassador Rylander of double standards.

"He is a bad ambassador, plain and simple," he said.

He said Ambassador Rylander, alongside the US and British ambassadors, wanted the United Nations to intervene in Zimbabwe.

"Their plan for intervention has come to grief partly because they have no nerve for war here,” said Charamba. “He should not sound like he is doing us a favour by appearing not to want intervention."

For months now, the MDC leader has established base in neighbouring Botswana, saying he cannot return home because he does not have a passport. Tsvangirai has maintained that he would only return to Zimbabwe when the government issues him with a new passport.

And MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa has alleged that the ruling ZANU-PF’s violent campaign against opposition activists had intensified.

“The ZANU-PF regime has intensified its terror campaign against MDC supporters in Bindura, Mashonaland Central province ahead of its annual conference, which begins in the town tomorrow. Eleven of the 12 councillors of the Bindura Municipality have fled their homes after the police arrested Ward 10 councillor, Norbert Dhokotera and two other MDC activists in pre-dawn raids last night,” Chamisa said.

He claimed that ZANU-PF youths had also joined the armed police and were looting property and food at the homes that police have targeted as the occupants have fled fearing unlawful arrests.

“As the clampdown on MDC activists intensifies, there has been upsurge of nationwide violence by ZANU-PF on innocent people. The regime is ignoring the cholera outbreak that has reached alarming levels and the starvation that is stalking the countryside but is choosing to unleash terror on defenceless people,” said Chamisa.

“Over 20 MDC activists including a two-year old child have been abducted by the ZANU-PF regime and their whereabouts are unknown.”

Labels: GEORGE CHARAMBA, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI

posted by MrK @ 12:47 PM