Tsvangirai's children rush home to be with their father

SOMBRE: Tsvangirai's daughter Rumbidzai at Perth Airport on Saturday shortly before flying home to bury her mother
GOING HOME: Tsvangirai seen with two of her daughters in this 2007 file photo

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Posted to the web: 07/03/2009 23:22:12
PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s children were heading home from Australia and South Africa to be with their father after their mother was killed in a road accident on Friday.

Tsvangirai, who sustained neck and head injuries but survived the crash, had six children with his late wife, Susan.

She was killed on the spot after their Toyota Land Cruiser was clipped by a Nissan UD truck carrying American aid on the Bulawayo-Masvingo road. The car was forced into a spin, then rolled over at least three times before landing on its roof.

Reports say Susan was flung out of the car and lay bleeding and motionless, while Tsvangirai walked from the wreck, bleeding and dazed. She was confirmed dead on arrival at a hospital in Beatrice, about 20 miles out of the capital, Harare.

Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says there is no evidence to suspect foul play, while the British government said “all indications are that this was a genuine accident". The UK said the truck belonged to a partner of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) which delivers HIV/AIDS drugs.

Tsvangirai’s Australia-based daughter Rumbidzai, 22, found comfort in prayer with her friends in her Perth home on Saturday after learning of her mother's death. She left for Zimbabwe later Saturday.

A friend said: “We were comforting her with the word of God and singing and just giving her the company that she terribly needed. We had two short Christian services at her house.

“She's going for the funeral and spending a few days with her father to see how he's doing and then she's coming back for work. She will return and continue her life here.''

Rumbidzai, a Murdoch University graduate who went to Perth as a student in 2004, was surrounded by Zimbabwean community members at the airport.

Her elder sister Vimbai, 27, who is said to work for the Sydney City Council, was also flying from Australia.

Their other four siblings -- Edwin, 31, Garikai, 29, and twins Vincent and Millicent, 16 -- were also rushing to be by their father’s side.

The Prime Minister was flown to Botswana for a short rest on Saturday after being discharged from the Avenues Clinic in Harare, officials said. He is expected to return sometime next week to bury his wife whom he married in 1978.
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