(NEWZIMBABWE) Tsvangirai booed off stage in London

Tsvangirai booed off stage in London
by Staff Reporters
22/06/2009 00:00:00

MORGAN Tsvangirai was heckled and booed off the pulpit of a London church on Saturday after he told Zimbabwean exiles: It’s time to go home.

The Prime Minister was left shaken after being barracked by hecklers in the crowd of about 1,000 people, many of them asylum seekers whose future in England may be in question after Tsvangirai declared: “There is peace and stability in the country.”

Tsvangirai was drowned out by boos that rang out through the imposing walls of the Southwark Cathedral when he further told the crowd: “Let me tell you that Zimbabweans must come home.”

To shouts of ‘Mugabe must go!’ from the gathered crowd, Tsvangirai abandoned his speech and sat down for more than two minutes. Amid noisy scenes, the Bishop of Southwark, Rt Revd Tom Butler, appealed for quiet.

"The Prime Minister and you are guests in my house. Let us listen to one another. Let us treat our fellow guests with courtesy and listen to what the Prime Minister has to say,” he appealed.

Returning to the rostrum, Tsvangirai invited questions – abandoning his speech.

Brian Thamsanqa Sibanda asked him: “Our party MDC, and the new government, does it have any instruments in place for people who claimed asylum in this country, are we by any means safe when we return home?”

When Tsvangirai rose to speak, and appeared to backpedal from his earlier call on the Zimbabweans to return home by saying “I did not say 'pack your bags tomorrow', I said you should be thinking about coming home,” he was met with further jeers and never got to answer Sibanda’s question.

He repelled further questions about unaffordable commodity prices. “Zimbabweans are affording back home,” he declared to more boos.

Asked on the gang attack on Regional Integration Minister Priscilla Misihairabwi’s home last Thursday, which left her husband Chris Mushonga hospitalised, Tsvangirai said: “The recent attack on Dr Mushonga is a criminal attack.”

The interruptions, their frequency rising, reached fever pitch when the Prime Minister was asked to give an assessment of the human rights situation in the country.

“We have worked very hard to ensure that there is no abuse that takes place,” he declared, much to the rising irritation of the crowd which made its final push to stop the proceedings.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti stepped to the mic, repeating ‘pamusoroi’ (excuse me) over 10 times but was drowned out by the noise from the crowd. Moments later, the Prime Minister, his aides and Zimbabwe’s ambassador to the UK Gabriel Machinga – flanked by four police officers – shuffled into a back room and held an impromptu press conference.

The crowd surged forward, some carrying banners and singing. Soon, the stage where the Prime Minister had been seated was filled with people. Church officials battled for over 10 minutes to get them off the stage. The singing continued outside the building where anger against Tsvangirai was palpable.

Asked about the hostile reception his words had received, he said: "When I go out to Zimbabweans back home, I don't receive this reaction."

He claimed that members of the Zimbabwean Diaspora have a "lack of knowledge" of the current situation at home.

"It's a communication problem. But the issue is that we have not travelled this road without consulting Zimbabweans," Tsvangirai said.

He acknowledged the scepticism about his working relationship with Robert Mugabe.

"We have to be on this process in order to rebuild the country. That's why I appeal: ‘If you want to come and rebuild the country, please do so. But if you want to stay here as a permanent refugee, please do so again.

"But I don't think that the UK government will appreciate the fact that when things have been settled back home then you are still seeking asylum."

The PM left the building with tight security.

The Prime Minister was in the UK on the final leg of his world tour to raise financial and political support for a power sharing government he entered with President Robert Mugabe in February.

Former colonial power Britain is home to over half a million Zimbabweans who fled a decade-long political and economic crisis. Many in the crowd were sceptical of Tsvangirai’s assurances that life had improved, while others feared the Prime Minister’s words may trigger mass deportations.

Tsvangirai will have breakfast with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Monday morning before holding talks at No 10 Downing Street. He will visit France on Wednesday before flying back home.