SA must act quickly on Zimbabwe

Robert Mugabe said Mr Tsvangirai deserved to be beaten

Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has called on South Africa’s leader to act quickly and decisively to halt political violence in his country.President Thabo Mbeki was appointed to mediate between Zimbabwe’s government and Mr Tsvangirai’s opposition party.

Mr Tsvangirai said he felt threatened by President Robert Mugabe’s violent crackdown on opposition members.

Two weeks ago, Mr Tsvangirai was himself beaten while in police custody.

“Last week hundreds have been subjected to abductions, brutal attacks and beatings … what is happening is a horrendous attack on the opposition, and I cannot put a wall around me,” Mr Tsvangirai said at a news conference in Johannesburg, where he was seeking medical treatment.

“I’m as vulnerable as any other Zimbabwean.”

Opposition targeted

On Saturday, Mr Tsvangirai said nine members of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party had been badly beaten up in custody after being arrested last week.

The nine were due in court after being charged with attempted murder and illegal weapons possession for allegedly planning fire bomb attacks, but the hearing was postponed after the incident.

I’m as vulnerable as any other Zimbabwean Morgan Tsvangirai Press provoked on crisis

Two weeks ago Mr Tsvangirai was beaten in police custody. President Robert Mugabe acknowledged his rival was attacked but said “he asked for it”.

The president, who has just been endorsed by his party to stand for re-election next year, warned that troublemakers would be “bashed”.

Mr Tsvangirai denied the MDC had any part in a fire bomb campaign, after an office of the Zanu-PF ruling party was attacked this week.

“We don’t sanction or plan any bombings, we don’t support violence,” the MDC leader said.

Last week, Zanu-PF announced that Mr Mugabe would be its candidate next year in presidential elections.

Next year’s poll would allow the president to say in power until 2013, when he would be nearly 90.

However, analysts say there may be more unrest on the horizon, with more than 80% of Zimbabweans living in poverty, chronic unemployment and inflation running at more than 1,700% - the highest in the world.