On his birthday, Tsvangirai makes final farewell to tragic wife

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• Tsvangirai says crash an accident, rules out foul play

• Tsvangirai returns home to bury his wife

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• Driver of Tsvangirai death crash truck 'not asleep': UK

• Tsvangirai flown to Botswana, party wants security review

• Tsvangirai death crash truck bought by US embassy

• Mugabe visits inured Tsvangirai

• Orbituary: The life of Susan Tsvangirai

• Tsvangirai injured, wife dead in car crash

• Prime Minister's inaugural address to parliament

• Online: Prime Minister's Website

Posted to the web: 10/03/2009 09:11:12
ON HIS 57th birthday on Tuesday, Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai steeled himself for a final farewell to his wife killed in a car crash last Friday.

What should have been a week of celebration -- the MDC leader retreating to his rural home for the first time as Prime Minister -- has been replaced by a shared national grief at Susan Tsvangirai’s death in a crash which also left the PM slightly hurt.

President Robert Mugabe, Tsvangirai’s former rival until they agreed to form a unity government last month, is expected to attend a service for the Prime Minister’s wife on Tuesday.

The service is to be held in Harare's Malbereign suburb.

Officials close to Tsvangirai said Mugabe will be present at a short service at the Malbereign Methodist Church in the morning along with diplomats and government officials.

Later Tuesday, thousands of Zimbabweans were to gather at the Glamis Stadium – the scene of Tsvangirai’s inauguration speech only three weeks ago – to hear the MDC leader pay tribute to his wife of 31 years.

Tsvangirai has ruled out foul play as the cause of the crash and is expected to repeat the same message to the thousands who began gathering at the grounds of the stadium since morning.

Susan Tsvangirai will be laid to rest on Wednesday morning in Buhera. The government has announced that she would be given a state-assisted funeral.

GRIEF: The Prime Minister hides his grief behind dark glasses at his Harare home on Thursday
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