Tsvangirai crash was 'hand of God': Mugabe

GRIEF: Tsvangirai wipes off tears at a church service for his late wife, Susan, on Tuesday

• On his birthday, Tsvangirai makes final farewell to tragic wife

• MP wants US aid agency probed over Tsvangirai crash

• Tsvangirai says crash an accident, rules out foul play

• Orbituary: The life of Susan Tsvangirai

• Online: Prime Minister's Website

Posted to the web: 10/03/2009 12:44:12
ZIMBABWE'S President Robert Mugabe says the car crash that killed Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's wife was "the hand of God".

"It will take him time to recover from this shock. I plead with you to accept it, it's the hand of God,'' Mugabe told hundreds of mourners gathered at a Methodist church in Harare on Tuesday for a funeral service for Susan Tsvangirai.

The remarks were Mugabe's first public comments on the crash that injured Tsvangirai and killed his wife on Friday.

An oncoming truck sideswiped their four-wheel drive on a potholed highway outside Harare, sending their vehicle flipping off the road.

Mugabe and his wife, Grace, visited Tsvangirai in hospital shortly after the collision, which had sparked speculation that the crash was linked to a long history of political leaders dying in suspicious accidents.But Tsvangirai told mourners on Monday it was an accident.

Mugabe, whose supporters staged deadly attacks against Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) around last year's elections, said it was time for Zimbabwe to move past the violence.

He said: "We are doing our best that we create a conducive environment and to our supporters, we want to say violence should stop. That's what she would have wanted, for us to co-exist peacefully.

"We have just started a new life after years of fighting each other and insulting each other. We have said let's give peace and harmony a chance and work together.

"Rest assured we are with you, honourable Prime Minister. Our hearts on this day and the days to follow, we are with you."

Susan Tsvangirai will be buriedon Wednesday. A rally was set to be held in her honour at a football stadium in Harare on Tuesday afternoon, also the day of Tsvangirai's 57th birthday.
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