FINANCE Minister Tendai Biti has threatened to quit his job and leave the country as he blamed Sunday morning’s petrol bomb attack on his home on agents of President Robert Mugabe.
“I thought I had seen the worst in my life, but quite clearly the people who bombed my residence had the intention to harm me and my family. My biggest worry is that I am realising that they are not going to stop there,” Biti told the privately-owned Daily News on Tuesday.
“I have endangered my children and my whole family. As a result, I am asking myself if it is worth continuing,” he added. “I’m sure that they will be back and intend more harm.”
An explosive device hit the perimeter wall of Biti’s Harare home, causing minimal damage.
Police say they are investigating, but have expressed disappointment that they were not called to the incident until 17 hours after it happened.
“The incident happened in the morning at about 1AM (Sunday), but a report was only made at 5.45PM,” said police spokesman, Wayne Bvudzijena.
“For proper investigations to be done, such cases should be reported early so that there is no contamination of the scene.”
Biti fears that his repeated clashes with Mugabe’s supporters over civil service pay, diamond income and corruption have made him dangerous enemies.
“When I joined the inclusive government, I knew I was going into a sewer. But even in a sewer there are rules. I had no doubt or illusions about Zanu PF,” Biti said.
“I can see the fingerprints of the state (in the attack), the military to be precise. Zanu PF has no capacity to do that, it’s the work of the military.
“There have been organised accidents; a bullet sent via mail; torture at Goromonzi by the CIO; a search at my other residence; beatings; treason charges and now this.”
Zanu PF has already dismissed the incident as an MDC plot to attract the sympathy of SADC leaders ahead of a summit on Zimbabwe which begins in South Africa on Saturday.
“It’s a very clumsy ploy based on discredited Rhodesian Selous Scout-tactics of either getting attention, or distracting attention, and in this case they are trying to do both,” said politburo member, Jonathan Moyo.