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(TALKZIMBABWE) Tsvangirai dismisses BBC, Holland report

Tsvangirai dismisses BBC, Holland report
Mutsawashe Makuvise
Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:36:00 +0000

PRIME MINISTER Morgan Tsvangirai on Wednesday dismissed an overly sensationalised story by the Minister of National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration in which she claimed that she and other members of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T), including fellow ministers, were receiving threatening phone calls every day.

In a serialised report on the BBC channel, Ms Sekai Holland claimed that her life and that of MDC-T ministers, was in danger as Zanu PF hardliners were trying to kill them.

The BBC reported that: "Ms Holland, Zimbabwe's Minister for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration, told the BBC that she and other members of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), including fellow ministers, were receiving threatening phone calls every day."

"We are told that they do have a list of people that they will kill," she said in the televised interview.

"No-one feels safe in Zimbabwe, no-one - and I mean no-one. We haven't reached a ceasefire. We are still at a point where people have their guns cocked."

Ms Holland is, ironically, the country's Minister of National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration. Such claim would come under her ministry's remit and the home affairs ministry.

Ms Holland also claimed that 39,000 militiamen 'working inside the civil service and outside' were being paid a wage of $100 (£62) a day to beat up MDC supporters, in the event of an election.

This means that the cash-strapped inclusive Government is spending $3,900,000 a day on these alleged "militiamen". This amount is more than the daily expenditure on the whole Zimbabwean civil service.

PM Tsvangirai dismissed Mrs Holland's claims as untrue during a speech delivered at the Council on Foreign Relations in the United States. The prime minister is on a three-week state visit to the US and Europe. Tsvangirai said there were no "Zanu PF militiamen" on the government's payroll and said there was no assassination list of opponents.

"If there is anyone who would be afraid of being assassinated, it would be me," he said. "I am sure that there is no such threat."

PM Tsvangirai also assured journalists that Zimbabwe was a safe destination for tourists.

"I can assure you that there will be no car hijacking, but if you are a bad driver I cannot assure you that you won't bump into a tree," he said.

Labels: MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, SEKAI HOLLAND

posted by MrK @ 7:45 PM