Tsvangirai on diplomatic offensive

Politics
MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday left the country for the United States of America on a diplomatic offensive expected to last a week as Zimbabwe’s economic crisis deepens.

MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday left the country for the United States of America on a diplomatic offensive expected to last a week as Zimbabwe’s economic crisis deepens.

BY OBEY MANAYITI

Tsvangirai is expected to meet several top US government officials among other stakeholders.

“He is leaving for US today (yesterday) as part of the diplomatic offensive in the wake of a deepening crisis in Zimbabwe,” Luke Tamborinyoka, his spokesperson said.

He said part of the crisis was the abduction of journalist Itai Dzamara and other disturbing statements coming from the government concerning the constitution.

Tamborinyoka was scheduled to travel with his boss but could not do so owing to doctors’ advice following injuries that he sustained at the hands of the police who assaulted him when they besieged the MDC-T headquarters in the capital last week.

“It is unfortunate that I couldn’t be with him on this diplomatic mission because the advice from my doctors is that I must rest and recuperate after my nasty encounter with terrorists in state uniform,” he said.

Tamborinyoka said Tsvangirai also engaged Sadc troika chairperson, Jacob Zuma, other regional heads of state, the African Union, United Nations and the broader international community on the crisis in Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe continues to slide towards another economic meltdown similar to the one in 2008 with analysts saying the Zanu PF government appeared clueless on how to reverse the situation.

Earlier this month, a United States based think-tank Council on Foreign Relations warned that failure by the Zanu PF government to tackle pressing national issues and the failure to deal decisively with succession battles in Zanu PF could plunge Zimbabwe into further economic and political crisis.