Tsvangirai: Give me more power or forget

  1. Posted on Monday 8 September 2008 - 11:06
    Mugadza
    Mugadza Munyarardzi, AfricaNews reporter in Harare, Zimbabwe
    Tsvangirai has called for fresh polls in Zimbabwe under the watch of international observers if President Mugabe remains reluctant to cede power in an effort to end the country's crisis. He said it would be better for the MDC to pull out of power-sharing talks than accept an unsatisfactory agreement.
    Morgan Tsvangirai rally, photo by Daniel Sibanda
    The opposition leader said on Sunday that he would not be forced to sign a “suicidal deal” that would change nothing but aggravate the suffering of the people of Zimbabwe. He was speaking at the Movement for Democratic Change's ninth anniversary rally.

    Tsvangirai said his signature does not only represent his interests but that of the people of Zimbabwe who voted Mugabe out in the March 29 elections. “If there are continued problems over the presidency, then we go for national elections supervised by the international community,” he said amid applause from the mammoth crowd that thronged the Mkoba stadium in Gweru in the Midlands province.

    He said he wants Mugabe to be the head of state under the new agreement while he becomes the head of government. Tsvangirai told his supporters that the MDC would not bow to pressure from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which is mediating in the ongoing Zimbabwe power-crisis.

    “President Mbeki is coming but don't worry about him. He is not the one who is going to sign the agreement. He is going to have to persuade me to shift my position. But don't worry. One thing I will not do is to sell you out,” he told the rally according to Reuters.

    Meanwhile, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa arrived in the country on Monday to meet with the country's political parties in Harare in a last minute effort to end the country's political turmoil.

    The power-sharing talks collapsed after the SADC summit in South Africa because of Mugabe’s reluctance to cede power to his rival. As a result, Tsvangirai has refused to sign any deal saying it does not represent the will of the people.

Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Liberia commends ECOWAS for support14/05The induction training of pioneer Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Volunteers for Liberia kicked off in Monrovia, with the Deputy Mi…
  11. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  12. Heavy rains cause havoc in Kenya14/05Heavy Rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country leading to the suspension of relief food in some parts of the country as most roads in Turk…
  13. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  14. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  15. Zimbabwe: Resettled farmers fail to utilize…10/05Resettled farmers in Zimbabwe are failing to utilize land due to inadequate farming inputs and lack of resources.
News archive