Canada condemns attack on Zimbabwe MP

Canada condemns attack on Zimbabwe MP

• Tsvangirai promises commssion of enquiry

• Tsvangirai's men blamed for savage attack on MP

• Tsvangirai savaged over mass action U-turn

• Gabriel Chaibva: Tsvangirai seeks unity with Zanu PF

• INTERVIEW Part 3: Raftopoulos, Moyo and Robertson

• Leaked: MDC proposals for resolution of Zim crisis

• Mugabe in new attack on MDC, churches

• Tsvangirai's father dies

• INTERVIEW Part 2: Moyo, Raftopoulos and Robertson

• INTERVIEW Part 1: Jonathan Moyo, Brian Raftopoulos and John Robertson

• Coltart 'would rather lose seat than compromise principles'

• David Coltart statement on political future

• Analysts back Annan's Zimbabwe plan

• Paul Themba Nyathi: MDC, Zanu PF cross-pollination of cultures

• MDC factions face off in Chitungwiza, Kadoma

• Human rights violators must be held to account

• Coltart: Why I can't join Tsvangirai faction

By Staff Reporter

CANADA has become the first foreign government to condemn the attack on Zimbabwe's only white female legislator, allegedly by mobs aligned to a rival opposition faction.

American-born Trudy Stevenson, 61, the MP for Harare North constituency was hospitalised Sunday with a deep cut to the back of her head inflicted with a machete, a broken arm and wrist.

Stevenson, a founder member of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has fingered seven of her assailants as supporters of Morgan Tsvangirai, the party's first leader who now leads a faction of the fractious party.

In a statement Thursday, Canadian ambassador to Zimbabwe Roxanne Dube` said: "The government of Canada condemns the attack on Stevenson and four other MDC members.

"Canada calls for a thorough and fair investigation of this incident and for its perpetrators to be brought to justice. The use of violence, or threat thereof, should not be condoned in any society."

Stung by growing international outrage, Tsvangirai promised a full 'independent' enquiry into the attack. His officials say if the assailants are indeed his supporters, they face expulsion from the party.

However, Tsvangirai's rivals from the Arthur Mutambara-led faction of the MDC are not convinced.

In Harare on Wednesday, Gabriel Chaibva, a spokesman for the Mutambara faction which Stevenson was aligned to said: "This commission of enquiry is to us a futile exercise because it is trying to find something that is already known and the people involved in the violence are already known.

"The findings of the past four enquiries have been consistent as they have always pointed the cause to emanate from Tsvangirai.

"Tsvangirai must carry out a thorough introspection and if possible, he must quit politics because he has failed to defend the founding values of democracy."

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum is one of several human rights organisations that has expressed outrage at the attack on the MP and four other MDC supporters in the poor township of Mabvuku last Sunday.

Tendai Biti, secretary general of Tsvangirai's faction, said: "Whilst we condemn the attack, which we dismiss as barbaric, we equally condemn the attempt to “convict” other persons and political parties without any due process."

But assurances by Tsvangirai and his officials did little to reassure his former supporters that the movement, once regarded as a symbol for peaceful, democratic opposition in Africa, can be resurrected.

The unravelling of the pro-democracy movement and champion of Zimbabwe’s urban poor began in October last year when Tsvangirai refused to accept a national executive vote to participate in elections for a new senate.

He claimed to have won support to boycott the election. Stevenson then joined the breakaway faction opposed to Tsvangirai.

The controversy brought to a head long-simmering divisions within the party over the former trade union chief’s leadership style.

Two years ago MDC youths tried to murder one of its security chiefs, but Tsvangirai failed to take action on that and a string of further violent incidents before and after the split. Critics also cited increasingly dictatorial tendencies.

Tsvangirai still attracts widespread support, Zimbabweans apparently content to look the other way over his failings. The party was founded in September 1999 on the principles of democracy and nonviolence and hope for an end to Mugabe’s rule, and has been beaten only by fraud in three national elections since.

Now the MDC is becalmed. Party insiders say that its structures have faded away, dedicated activists have left the country in disillusion, and its source of funds has dried up.

In February Tsvangirai promised “a bitter winter of protest” against the Government and vowed that he was prepared to die leading the marches. Nothing happened - additional reporting Jan Raath, Times
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
newsdesk@newzimbabwe.com