HARARE, Zimbabwe (BP)–Susan Tsvangirai, wife of Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, died March 8 in a traffic collision in Harare that sparked rumors the country’s president had made an attempt on her husband’s life. Morgan Tsvangirai, however, said he believes the collision was truly an accident.
The couple was en route to a political rally in a three-car convoy when a truck carrying humanitarian aid crashed into their vehicle. Mr. Tsvangirai was taken to neighboring Botswana for medical treatment but was able to return to Zimbabwe the next day, according to the Reuters news service. Although he has said he does not believe the crash was an assassination attempt, supporters questioned the fact that he did not have the police escort he was entitled to as prime minister.
Tsvangirai serves as prime minister under a power-sharing arrangement with longtime Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change was invited to join Mugabe’s government in an effort to rescue the country, which has suffered from extreme hyperinflation, a cholera outbreak and severe food shortages.
Mugabe personally delivered his condolences to Tsvangirai, according to news reports. The driver of the truck was expected to be charged with culpable homicide.
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Compiled by Baptist Press assistant editor Mark Kelly.
