David Morgan and two other senior officials from Lord's will make the trip along with coach Duncan Fletcher, captain Michael Vaughan and the team.
"We believe its entirely appropriate we give this added support on what clearly is an unusual tour.
"We are determined to ensure that none of the players will be involved in any state occasion," he told the BBC.
"We've made that absolutely clear to Zimbabwe Cricket."
Asked whether he would be willing to meet Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe, Morgan replied: "I would not expect to have to meet him.
"I will be talking to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London for guidance in terms of protocol should Mr Mugabe or any of his senior ministers appear in a place I happen to be in."
Fast bowler Darren Gough claims the England squad are unanimously opposed to the tour of Zimbabwe.
Gough says the players have only agreed to tour to save the ECB from financial disaster.
"England will lose between £10m and £20m if we don't go," he told the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
This is the most pathetic, disgusting and unnecessary course of action whch has been forced on them. But since they have to go, I wish them well and hope they play as well as have been doing in the recent past.Darren
McDonald
Senior Protection Services Leader
Modikwa Platinum Mine
013 2302072 (W) / 013 2302036 (Office Fax)/
0154183231(Fax nation)/ 0826062673 (C)
Please
pray for these
people and keep this email rolling.
A letter from Zim......
Sent in by John Winter:
I reckon that these are
the last days of TKM and ZPF.
The darkest hour is always before dawn.
We are all terrified at
what they are going to destroy next........I mean they are actually
plowing down brick and mortar houses and one white family with twin
boys of 10 had no chance of salvaging anything when 100 riot police
came in with AK's and bulldozers and demolished their beautiful house -
5 bedrooms and pine ceilings - because it was "too close to the
airport"..so we are feeling extremely insecure right now. You know - I
am aware that this does not help you sleep at night, but if you do not
know - how can you help?
Even if you put us in
your own mental ring of light and send your guardian angels to be with
us - that is a help - but I feel so cut off from you all knowing I
cannot tell you what's going on here simply because you will feel
uncomfortable. There is no ways we can leave so that is not an option.
I just ask that you all pray for us in the way that you know how, and
let me know that you are thinking of us and sending out positive
vibes... that's all.
You can't just be in
denial and pretend its not going on. To be frank with you, its genocide
in the making and if you do not believe me, read the Genocide Report by
Amnesty International which says we are IN level seven (level 8 is
after its happened and everyone is in denial). If you don't want me to
tell you these things then it means you have not dealt with your own
fear, but it does not help me to think you are turning your back on our
situation.
We need you to get the
news OUT that we are all in a fearfully dangerous situation here. Too
many people turn their backs and say - oh well, that's what happens in
You can't just say "oh
you attract your own reality". The petrol queues are a reality, the
pall of smoke all around our city is a reality, the thousands of
homeless people sleeping outside in 0 Celsius with no food water,
shelter and bedding are a reality.
Today a family approached
me, brother of the gardener's wife with two small children. Their home
was trashed and they will have to sleep outside. We already support 8
people and a child on this property and electricity is going up next
month by 250% as is water. How can I take another family of 4 - and yet how can I
turn them away to sleep out in the open?
I am not asking you for
money, or a ticket out of here - I am asking you to FACE the fact that
we are in deep and terrible danger and I want you to pass on our news
and pictures and don't just press the delete button for God's sake.
Help in the way that you know how. Face the reality of what is going on
here and SEND OUT THE WORD. The more people that know about it, the
more chance we have of United Nations coming to our aid.
Please stop ignoring and
denying what's happening. Would you like to be protected from the truth
and then if we are eliminated how would you feel? Surely you would say
"if only we knew how bad it really was we could have helped in some
way". I know we chose to stay here and so we "deserve" what's coming to
us. For now we ourselves, have food, shelter, a little fuel and a bit
of money for the next meal - but what is going to happen next? Will
they start on our houses? All property is going to belong to the State
now. I want to send out my Title Deeds to one of you because if they
get a hold of those I can't fight for my rights.
We no longer have SW
radio which told us everything that was happening because the
government jammed it out of existence - we don't have any reporters,
and no one is allowed to photograph. If we had reporters here they
would have an absolute field day. Even the pro government Herald has
written that people are shocked, stunned, bewildered and blown mindless
by the wanton destruction of everyone's homes which are supposed to be
"illegal but which a huge percentage of them actually do have licenses
for. Please my children - have some compassion and HELP by sending out
the articles and personal reports so that something can be DONE.
"In
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time no one was left to speak up."
Martin
Niemoeller
Email Disclaimer
http://www.aplitec.co.za/emaildisclaimer.htm
He was taken from Harare magistrates court with several other activists who were detained at an opposition rally on Sunday. Many of them were bandaged.
Mr Tsvangirai accused the police of "a sadistic attack on defenceless people".
One person was shot dead as riot police broke up the meeting, called to pray for the political and economic crisis.
In a rare public comment on its neighbour's government, South Africa has called on Zimbabwe to respect the rule of law.
"South Africa urges the Zimbabwean government to ensure that the rule of law, including respect for rights of all Zimbabweans and leaders of various political parties, is respected," said deputy foreign minister Aziz Pahad.
Deep cuts
BBC reporter Brian Hungwe, who was at the courthouse, said the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader appeared with 10 of about 50 detainees who were brought to the court.
| |
One of us was killed. They shot
my friend Gift Tandare dead MDC activist |
The other detainees had similar injuries, our reporter says.
Mr Tsvangirai stood next to Arthur Mutambara, the leader of a rival MDC faction, while many of the activists sang and chanted, AFP news agency reported.
A lawyer for the group, Beatrice Mtetwa, said they would be charged with incitement to violence, the Associated Press news agency reported.
The detainees were taken to hospital after prosecutor Florence Ziyambi said they would be allowed to receive medical attention.
'Brutal' crackdown
The action against Sunday's meeting in Harare, which the police say was banned, has been strongly condemned by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and by the United States and European Union.
| |
TSVANGIRAI'S LEGAL TROUBLES
2003 : Charged with treason - later
dropped
2002: Lost election to Mugabe,
charged with treason - later dropped
2000: Charged with treason - later
dropped
2000: MDC won 57 parliamentary
seats
1999: Helped form MDC
|
Mr Ban's spokeswoman said the arrests "violate the basic democratic right of citizens to engage in peaceful assembly".
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, urged Zimbabwe to conduct an "immediate, impartial and comprehensive investigation" into what happened.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for Mr Tsvangirai's immediate release.
"The world community again has been shown that the regime of Robert Mugabe is ruthless and repressive and creates only suffering for the people of Zimbabwe," she said.
'Beating police'
Zimbabwe's Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said the police's action was justified as they were attacked by opposition activists.
"The opposition has been involved in violence, caught by police with weapons of destruction and destroying cars and stores and beating up people," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme.
"They've been beating up police you know. That is what government cannot tolerate."
The government said the rally breached a ban on political gatherings imposed after violence at a demonstration last month.
Civil discontent in Zimbabwe is rising over the country's economic crisis, with chronic unemployment and inflation running at more than 1,700% - the highest in the world.
Mr Mugabe said the opposition Movement for Democratic Change had triggered violence which led to arrests and alleged beatings of its leaders.
Western countries are considering extending sanctions against Zimbabwean officials in response to the violence.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai is still in hospital after the alleged beatings.
by Susan Njanji AFP Fri Mar 28, 2:29 PM ET
Zimbabwe's security forces were on full alert Friday to head off possible violence at this weekend's elections as opponents of Robert Mugabe vowed to give him his marching orders after 28 years in power.
After an election campaign largely devoid of the bloodshed which has marred previous ballots, the country's top policeman warned any violence would be met with an iron fist.
Armoured vehicles could be seen in township areas as organisers made final preparations for Saturday's much-anticipated joint parliamentary and presidential elections.
With state media predicting Mugabe should crush his challengers, a coalition of human rights groups said there was no way the electoral process could be said to reflect the will of the people.
Meanwhile the 84-year-old president wrapped up campaigning with a fresh broadside against the old colonial power Britain, saying his ballot box rivals Morgan Tsvangirai and Simba Makoni were their puppets.
"Tomorrow defend your land, defend your national sovereignty. Remember Zimbabwe is not for sale," Mugabe told his final campaign rally in Harare.
The election comes at a time when Zimbabwe is grappling with the impact of the world's highest rate of inflation -- officially put at 100,580.2 percent -- and an unemployment level which has breached the 80 percent mark.
Once seen as southern Africa's breadbasket, the country is suffering from previously unheard of shortages of even the most basic foodstuffs such as bread.
Mugabe, who has ruled uninterrupted since independence in 1980, has blamed the economic chaos on the West which imposed sanctions intended to only hit his inner circle after he allegedly rigged his 2002 re-election.
While Tsvangirai has called for supporters of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to refrain from violence if it is not declared the winner, the party has warned such an outcome could lead to fighting similar to that seen following the disputed outcome of Kenya's election in December.
In an eve of poll press conference, police commissioner Augustine Chihuri said anyone who harboured "evil" intentions would face the full force of the law.
"Those who have been breathing fire about the Kenyan-style violence should be warned that violence is a poor substitute for intelligence and that it is a monster that can devour its creator."
Mugabe himself has warned his opponents to not even "dare" think about resorting to violence in the event of a victory for the incumbent and his Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front party.
Tsvangirai, who believes Mugabe cheated him of victory in the last presidential election in 2002, says only vote-rigging will prevent him from winning this time.
In his final push for votes, the MDC leader was confident of victory and promised: "This time we won't fail."
"It's now time to give Mugabe a red card and his pension," he told supporters.
Former finance minister Makoni, who has also expressed confidence of victory in a free and fair election, meanwhile finished his campaign with a walkabout in Harare.
The MDC and Makoni have accused Mugabe of a systematic attempt to fix the election in his favour, allowing security forces into polling booths, adding phantom voters to the electoral roll and restricting access to state media.
The Crisis in Zimbabwe movement, which includes a raft of pressure groups as well as the MDC, issued a statement on Friday saying the polls were a charade.
"Tomorrow's general election is illegitimate. Whatever the outcome that results from it, that process will not be a true and legitimate expression of the will of the people of Zimbabwe," it said.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, whose executives are appointed by Mugabe, insisted however that claims of rigging were unfounded.
"The question of ghosts coming to vote is always mentioned and we have never seen ghosts coming to vote," said the registrar general Tobaiwa Mudede.
Amid the claims that the outcome had been pre-determined, state media predicted Mugabe would win an outright majority in the first round of voting, thus negating the need for a run-off within three weeks.
Citing a survey by university researchers, the Herald daily said Mugabe would win 57 percent of votes, while Tsvangirai would get 27 percent and Makoni 14 percent.
As well as voting for a president and 210 members of parliament, the 5.9 million strong electorate will choose the make-up of councils nationwide.
The leaders of all church denominations in Zimbabwe also called for the immediate announcement of results from the March 29 presidential election.
AFP
Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Saturday he would contest a second-round presidential runoff, but called for international peacekeepers and observers to ensure a fair vote.
Tsvangirai, who beat veteran President Robert Mugabe in a first round of voting in March, also called for violence in Zimbabwe to end before the as yet unscheduled second round could take place.
"The MDC has decided that we will contest the runoff election," Tsvangirai told a press conference here, flanked by the leadership of his Movement for Democratic Change party.
Tsvangirai had previously refused to say whether he would take part -- even though failure to do so would have handed a victory to Mugabe -- and has accused the government of organising a campaign of terror against his supporters.
Doctors, trade unions and teachers have described beatings and intimidation by government-backed militias and the authorities have been rounding up an increasing number of high-profile opponents.
The MDC has said at least 30 of its supporters have been killed since election day and thousands more tortured or injured, but those figures have been disputed by the Zimbabwean government.
Tsvangirai appealed to the 14-member regional body of South African states, the Southern African Development Community, to help the election to take place.
"We have given some conditions to SADC (Southern African Development Community) for the runoff," he said.
"One, total secession of all violence; number two, unfettered access by international observers; number three, the reconstitution of ZEC (Zimbabwe's electoral commission); number four, media access should be unfettered; number five SADC should provide peacekeeping to curtail violence."
Tsvangirai also criticised the ZEC, which has played a central role in the country's elections.
Results from the first round were delayed by five weeks and no date has been given for the second-round runoff despite a legal requirement for it to take place within 21 days of the first-round results being announced.
"ZEC is partisan to ZANU-PF," Tsvangirai said, referring to Mugabe's party which has ruled the country since independence from Britain in 1980.
By JOHN HEILPRIN, Associated Press Writer
At least 2 million people in Zimbabwe face greater risk of starvation, homelessness and disease because the government ordered aid groups to halt operations there, according to the U.N.'s top humanitarian official.
John Holmes, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, spoke Friday after the United States and Britain warned that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's regime is using food and the threat of hunger as a weapon to cling to power ahead of the June 27 presidential runoff.
Much of the U.N.'s aid in Zimbabwe is funneled through non-governmental organizations.
"If voluntary organizations and NGOs are not able to work, humanitarian aid for at least 2 million of the most poor and vulnerable of Zimbabwe's people, particularly children, will be severely restricted, although we will do our best to make up for this," Holmes said.
On Thursday, Mugabe's government ordered aid groups to suspend field work indefinitely, saying they had violated the terms of their agreement. It has accused at least one group of campaigning for the opposition in the June 27 presidential runoff between Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai.
The suspension order hampers aid delivery to more than 4 million people and puts at least 2 million at greater risk of starvation, homelessness and disease, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Zimbabwe's U.N. ambassador, Boniface Chidyauskiku, said the relief agencies and the U.S. government have been using food as a political weapon, not Mugabe's government.
"They have gone out into the countryside and they have been telling Zimbabweans that if you don't vote for the opposition, if you don't change your vote, there's no food for you," he said. "So it is the United States using food as a political weapon to effect a regime change in Zimbabwe. This is why we have suspended the activity."
U.S. Ambassador James McGee said Friday that Mugabe's government is distributing food mainly to supporters and people who support the opposition are offered food only if they hand in identification that would allow them to vote. McGee warned that "massive starvation" will result if the situation continues.
British Development Aid Secretary Douglas Alexander described it in similar terms.
"For Robert Mugabe to use the threat of hunger as a political weapon shows a callous contempt for human life," Alexander said. "For the sake of millions of the poorest and most vulnerable people in Zimbabwe, aid must be allowed to get through."
Holmes stopped short of agreeing with the assessment of U.S. and British officials.
"To describe it as using food as a weapon is a description I wouldn't put on it, at this stage anyway," he said.
Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change beat Mugabe in the March 29 first round, but fell short of the votes needed to avoid a runoff. As the runoff approaches, police have detained Tsvangirai twice and halted his party's rallies.
Movement for Democratic Change officials, blaming state agents, say at least 60 of its supporters have been killed in the past two months.
Below is the full text of G8 leaders' statement on Zimbabwe, adopted at a summit in Japan:
1. We expressed our grave concern about the situation in Zimbabwe. We deplore the fact that the Zimbabwean authorities pressed ahead with the presidential election despite the absence of appropriate conditions for free and fair voting as a result of their systematic violence, obstruction and intimidation.
2. We do not accept the legitimacy of any government that does not
reflect the will of the Zimbabwean people.
3. We strongly urge the Zimbabwean authorities to work with the opposition to achieve a prompt, peaceful resolution of the crisis. It is important that any mediation process respect the results of the 29 March 2008 election.
4. We support the African Union (AU) as it expresses deep concern with the negative reports from the Southern African Development Community (Sadc), the AU and the Pan-African Parliament observers on the elections and the loss of life that has occurred in Zimbabwe. We also support the AU's call to encourage Zimbabwean leaders to initiate dialogue with a view to promoting peace and stability. We encourage regional bodies, including Sadc and the AU to provide strong leadership toward a quick and democratic resolution of this crisis, including by further strengthening the regional mediation process.
5. We are deeply concerned by the humanitarian dimension of the situation in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwean authorities must allow the immediate resumption of humanitarian operations and full and non-discriminatory access to humanitarian assistance to prevent the suffering of the most vulnerable people in Zimbabwe.
6. We will continue to monitor the situation and work
together with Sadc, the AU, the UN and other relevant organisations for
a prompt resolution of the crisis. We recommend the appointment of a
special envoy of the UN secretary general to report on the political,
humanitarian, human rights and security situation and to support
regional efforts to take forward mediation between political parties.
We will take further steps, inter alia introducing financial and other
measures against those individuals responsible for violence.
President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai have signed a deal outlining a framework for talks on Zimbabwe's political crisis.
The pair - who were filmed shaking hands at their meeting in the capital, Harare - have been locked in a dispute over this year's presidential polls.
It was their first meeting in a decade. Mr Tsvangirai described the pact as a "first tentative step".
South African President Thabo Mbeki helped broker the agreement.
It calls for discussions on a new constitution, states a goal of forming an "inclusive government" and urges the prevention of political violence.
The BBC's Jonah Fisher, in Johannesburg, says the pact envisages a final deal being signed within two weeks.
| |
The Parties shall refrain from
using abusive language that may incite
hostility, political intolerance and ethnic hatred or undermine each
other Memorandum of Understanding |
But, he adds, it is difficult to see such quick progress in resolving the issues at stake - and the document does not address the central issue of Mr Mugabe's future or go into the details of a possible power-sharing arrangement.
Mr Mugabe insists that he must be recognised as Zimbabwe's president - a position rejected by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
Mr Tsvangirai, the MDC's leader, garnered more votes in the initial presidential poll in March, but election officials said there was no outright winner and called for a run-off.
Mr Mugabe won the run-off - but he was the only candidate after Mr Tsvangirai withdrew, accusing the government of mounting a campaign of violence against his supporters.
First step
Mr Tsvangirai said that in signing the deal - an occasion he described as historic - he and Mr Mugabe were committing themselves to the "first tentative step towards searching for a solution to a country that is in crisis".
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Morgan Tsvangirai speaks after signing the deal with Mr Mugabe
He went on: "We are committed to ensure that the process of negotiation becomes successful.
"We want to make sure that every Zimbabwean feels safe, we want to share a common prosperity for everyone and we want a better Zimbabwe."
Mr Tsvangirai acknowledged that many "bitter words" had been exchanged between the two sides but said they all must exercise tolerance and work together if they wanted progress.
Mr Mugabe said the two sides had agreed on Sunday on the need for the country's constitution to be amended on various points.
"We sit here in order for us to chart a new way, a new way of political interaction," he said.
He also praised Mr Mbeki for his mediation efforts, adding: "We shall be doing this as Zimbabweans, entirely as Zimbabweans with the help of South Africa."
Mr Mbeki said: "All the Zimbabwean parties recognise the urgency of the matters they are discussing and all are committed to trying to complete this process as quickly as possible."
The BBC's southern Africa correspondent Peter Biles, in Johannesburg, says Mr Mugabe seemed to be in conciliatory - and sometimes good-humoured - mood as he made the unprecedented move of appearing with his arch-rival in front of the media.
Mr Mugabe said the agreement was a serious matter for his Zanu-PF party, and that he hoped it reflected sincerity.
It was a breakthrough, our correspondent says, even if it was only a first step.
Both sides have had to swallow some pride and make some concessions to reach this stage, he adds, once it became clear that the solution to Zimbabwe's political crisis would not come in a winner-takes-all scenario.
New elections
The opposition party has previously accused Mr Mbeki of being biased in favour of Mr Mugabe.
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Robert Mugabe speaks about signing the agreement
The fact that the African Union (AU) and the United Nations joined the South African mediation efforts was crucial in persuading the MDC to agree to talk, analysts say.
Senior diplomats from the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) are also involved.
The MDC still has several conditions to be met before starting substantive talks with Mr Mugabe.
Party spokesman George Sibotshiwe told the BBC that future dialogue would remain conditional on a complete cessation of violence and the release of all political prisoners.
The MDC wants some kind of "transitional authority" to organise new, internationally-monitored elections.
The party says at least 120 of its supporters have been killed, about 5,000 abducted and 200,000 forced from their homes since the first round of the elections, in a campaign of violence by pro-Mugabe militias and the army.
Cabinet ministers and military officials have denied the charges.
The deal between Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai comes on the day that a new banknote was issued, for 100bn Zimbabwe dollars - the latest sign of the country's economic meltdown.
This is not quite enough to buy a loaf of bread and is worth less than US$1. The official inflation rate is 2.2m%.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's ruling party and the main opposition MDC have reached a power sharing deal, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and a government source said on Thursday.
"(South African) President (Thabo) Mbeki is going to give a press statement but I can say that we have got a deal," Tsvangirai said as he left the venue of negotiations in the capital Harare.
(Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe and Cris Chinaka; Editing by Matthew Jones)
Wednesday, February 11 05:10 pm
MacDonald Dzirutwe Zimbabwe's
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in as prime minister on
Wednesday by old enemy President Robert Mugabe and vowed to salvage the
ruined economy.
Their power-sharing deal has raised hopes among Zimbabweans of an end to widespread hardship, but wrangling since they signed their agreement in September has stirred doubts over whether they can work together to bring in aid and investment.
Tsvangirai, 56, was sworn in by Mugabe, 84, who has ruled with his ZANU-PF party since independence from Britain in 1980. Tsvangirai gave a little smile as he finished taking the oath in front of Mugabe, who displayed his usual confidence.
"I want to assure you that this is the only workable arrangement and I can assure you that I and my party will give it our utmost," said Tsvangirai, who cut his political teeth in the labour movement as a mine foreman.
Mugabe said the parties should build on the deal "by turning our swords into ploughshares."
Tsvangirai won a first round presidential poll against Mugabe last year but boycotted a subsequent run-off over violence. He said rescuing the economy would be a top priority.
"We must get the country working again," said Tsvangirai in his inauguration address.
He called on the world to help Zimbabwe recover. It is suffering unemployment above 90 percent, prices double every day, half the 12 million population need food aid and a cholera epidemic has killed nearly 3,500 people.
But foreign investors and Western donors have made it clear money will come only when a new democratic government is formed and bold economic reforms are taken -- such as reversing nationalisation policies.
"Mr Tsvangirai and his team have a formidable challenge in bringing legitimacy and reform to Zimbabwe's government, in improving the economy and in delivering basic services," British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in a statement.
To cheers from his supporters, Tsvangirai said civil servants would be paid in foreign currency from this month instead of in the increasingly worthless local currency. He did not say where the money would come from.
CHALLENGE
"The body language from Tsvangirai and Mugabe at the ceremony points to uneasy times ahead, but I hope it all works out and the decline of the country is halted," said Harare office worker Alice Mabhena.
Power-sharing is unlikely to be easy. Implementation of the coalition deal only came after intense pressure from regional countries, fearing a total meltdown in once-prosperous Zimbabwe.
The pact left Tsvangirai with the ministries most responsible for addressing 10 years of economic decline, including the finance ministry, and Zimbabweans and donors will be seeking decisive action.
"This is an imperfect settlement, and the balance of power favours Mugabe and ZANU-PF. Tsvangirai will probably have very little room to manoeuvre, but over time he will become as liable for the failures of the ZANU-PF government," said Aubrey Matshiqi of South Africa's Centre for Policy Studies.
"Another way of looking at it is that from an imperfect settlement may arise a lasting solution. That cannot be precluded."
Tsvangirai, a former union leader, gained respect at home and abroad for his fight against graft and rights abuses despite spending time in Mugabe's jails. But his leadership skills in government are untested and analysts believe Mugabe, a master political operator, may try to undermine him.
Many Zimbabweans remain sceptical of success.
"You can't talk about a unity government today and see it work tomorrow," said Peter Dzingayi, among millions of Zimbabweans who have fled abroad in search of jobs.
"Right now we do not have any hope," he said at the Johannesburg Central Methodist church, where thousands of Zimbabweans cram into halls to sleep.
Critics say Mugabe's policies, such as the seizure of white owned farms to give to landless blacks, have led to Zimbabwe's collapse. He says Western sanctions are responsible.
Tsvangirai called for national unity in his speech, but he clearly blamed Mugabe's government for Zimbabwe's troubles.
"A culture of entitlement and impunity has brought our nation to the brink of a dark abyss. This must end today," he said.
Brian Hungwe visits the scene of Friday's car crash near Harare in which Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was injured and his wife Susan killed.
A land cruiser lies on its back 24 hours after the car crash, drawing the attention of motorists.
Inside the mangled remains of the vehicle, a continuous warning sound has been hinting all day that doors are open.
Yet the keys are still in the ignition. A shattered windscreen and broken car windows tell an ugly story, as the Toyota Land cruiser rests on its roof besides the road.
Two policemen are on constant guard. Strangers are not allowed up close.
But vehicles are slowing down around the fatal scene. Curious onlookers disembark, say little, and some weep, as they catch a glimpse of the lonely miserable vehicle.
It is difficult to imagine how Mr Tsvangirai escaped relatively unscathed as the heavy vehicle rolled three times after the collision with an oncoming lorry.
One immediately feels pity for his wife Susan, his pillar of strength and mother to the couple's six children.
Questions asked
The Masvingo-Harare road is a two lane route. The place where the crash occurred is on a kilometre-long (0.6 miles) stretch of clear road, sandwiched between two commercial farmlands.
The road evidently requires rehabilitation, but calls for such repairs have fallen on deaf ears over the past years, despite horrifying fatalities involving haulage lorries, buses and ordinary cars.
As the nation ponders on the latest tragedy, many questions are being asked - and concerns are being raised over the security of government officials.
How a convoy of three vehicles, with one in the middle carrying the second most important person in the land, got involved in a car crash, is what has perplexed many people.
The oncoming lorry, which apparently belonged to a partner of the US government aid agency USAID, is thought to have crossed into the prime minister's path, sideswiping the right bumper of Mr Tsvangirai's Land Cruiser, which then rolled off the highway.
Rumours in Harare
"If you look at the circumstances surrounding the accident, they show that there is not as much security as one would have wanted, not that you can prevent an accident, but I'm sure it must give a lot of lessons about the security framework," says Dr Lovemore Madhuku, chairman of a constitutional reform pressure group.
"It's very depressing, I think happening within the first three weeks of the new inclusive government. It's unfortunate that the public will find it unbelievable and that could threaten the whole framework of the new government," Dr Madhuku said.
Already, Harare is awash with rumour and speculation.
"People don't want to believe it was an ordinary accident, even if you tell them President Mugabe visited Tsvangirai in hospital hours after the crash," a taxi driver told me.
"Why did the oncoming vehicle target his vehicle, yet there are hundreds other cars that use the same road every hour, it's a busy road?" he asked. "They wanted to kill him."
At the scene of the crash, Deputy Mines Minister and MDC legislator Murisi Zwizwayi is refusing to buy into the story that the encroaching vehicle hit a pothole or hump before crossing the lane.
"Where are the potholes, even humps, here, do you see one, it's just a clear road," he said, almost throwing his hands in exasperation.
"There was a lot of talk around a pothole that is alleged to have caused the accident. It was only proper that we visit the scene. From my own assessment, there is no pothole to talk about as far as this accident is concerned," Mr Zwizwayi said.
'Huge embarrassment'
At the clinic where Mr Tsvangirai was treated, there was heavy security, state agents and armed police. It appeared like a state expression of loyalty, to avoid giving any credence to conspiracy theories.
"From now on, security around the prime minister will be tighter. I think they will test whatever he drinks or eats first to make sure he doesn't die. It's in their interest to keep him alive now," said a senior MDC official, barred from entering the clinic after the accident.
The treatment centre was besieged by hosts of politicians from across the political divide.
Inside were central bank governor Dr Gideon Gono, Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, head of central intelligence Happyton Bonyongwe, and other party deputy ministers.
"Rarely do prime ministers get involved in car accidents. Plane crashes are more understandable," said a retired army official.
"It shows lack of planning, co-ordination of close security transporting the VIPs in the convoy."
He says that when such a situation arises "countless reports are filed, many questions asked and people tend to lose their jobs".
"This incident," he added, "is no exception."
An MDC insider says what makes this incident more serious is that it is a "huge political embarrassment to the state, particularly President Mugabe that he is failing to provide adequate protection to his prime minister in government".
Given Mr Mugabe's demeanour, a very sad depressed face, as he walked out of the clinic, a lot of people "must be running around".
"Logic would have demanded that a police escort be provided to warn other traffic... and this tragedy could have been avoided," Finance Minister Tendai Biti said, before breaking down at a party news conference.
"The authorities must understand that omission," Mr Biti added.
His tears hint at the growing level of anger and emotion within his party. At his home in Harare, there was weeping and wailing all night, as relatives and friends tried to come to grips with the tragedy.
Zimbabwe's new coalition government has adopted a 100-day renewal plan aimed at mending ties with the West after years of isolation under Robert Mugabe.
Ministers on a three-day retreat hammered out the plan which is meant to yield a new constitution by next year.
Restrictions on foreign media are due to be lifted and human rights restored.
Correspondents at the talks say there is some scepticism that such ambitious targets can be met in such a short space of time.
After Zimbabwe quit the Commonwealth in 2003, the EU and US imposed travel bans on Mr Mugabe and his circle.
Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), was sworn in as prime minister in February 2009, following months of wrangling over a power-sharing agreement originally signed with Mr Mugabe in September 2008.
Meeting and bonding
Five priorities have been set out in the plan agreed in the resort town of Victoria Falls: restoring human rights, addressing security concerns, stabilising the economy, building infrastructure and re-engaging the international community.
Relaxation of the media regulations means that independent local and international media should be allowed to operate freely.
Broad consultations are due to be be held on the new constitution ahead of a stakeholders' conference three months from now.
Patrick Chinamasa, the justice minister and an MP from Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, said his country wanted normal relations with the West.
"We have committed ourselves to normalising relations between Zimbabwe and those countries which disengaged their relationship and this is primarily the EU, the United Kingdom, the United States and the white Commonwealth countries," he said.
"So we have now said that we are going to re-engage them. A core team of ministers has been set up to expiate the re-engagement."
Eric Matinenga, the constitutional affairs minister and an MP from Mr Tsvangirai's MDC, said broad consultations would be held on the new constitution.
"We are already starting to engage the various groups and the population to make sure that the constitution is acceptable to the people of Zimbabwe," he said.
Former political rivals may have faced each other and bonded, Zimbabwean journalist Brian Hungwe reports from Victoria Falls, but the big task now is implementation.
Tsvangirai tragedy
Mr Tsvangirai was at the talks in Victoria Falls but left on Saturday after hearing news of a new family tragedy, less than a month after his wife Susan died in a car crash which he himself survived.
His two-year-old grandson Sean drowned in a swimming pool at Mr Tsvangirai's home in Harare on Saturday afternoon, spokesman James Maridadi said.
The boy was the child of Mr Tsvangirai's son Garikai and his wife Lilian, who are based in Canada, the spokesman told AFP news agency.
He will be buried on Monday in Buhera, south-east of the capital, next to his grandmother Susan.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has branded a top US envoy "an idiot" with a condescending attitude.
He said that Johnnie Carson, US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, wanted to dictate what Zimbabwe could and could not do.
The two spoke on the sidelines of last week's African Union meeting in Libya.
The Obama administration has been sceptical of the power-sharing government formed between Mr Mugabe and his opposition rivals.
Mr Mugabe told the state-owned Herald newspaper in Zimbabwe that nothing came out of his talks with Mr Carson - his first meeting with a US government official for many years.
"You would not speak to an idiot of that nature," he said. "I was very angry with him, and he thinks he could dictate to us what to do and what not to do."
Mr Mugabe pointed out that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) supported the unity government.
"We have the whole of SADC working with us, and you have the likes of little fellows like Carson, you see, wanting to say: 'You do this, you do that.'
"Who is he?
"I hope he was not speaking for Obama. I told him he was a shame, a great shame, being an African American."
Mr Mugabe was also not fond of Mr Carson's predecessor, Jendayi Frazer, who is also black.
In May last year he described her as "a little American girl trotting around the globe like a prostitute" after she suggested that the then-opposition Movement for Democratic Change had won the disputed presidential election.
Meanwhile, the Herald also reports that Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has apologised to Mr Mugabe after ministers from his party, the MDC, boycotted a cabinet meeting last Monday.
The ministers had decided instead to head to Harare airport to welcome Mr Tsvangirai back from a tour of Europe and the United States, where he had been lobbying for aid for Zimbabwe.
He said he had raised about $500m (£300m), not the $7bn the country's finance minister said the country needed to revive its economy.
President Obama committed $73 million, but said: "It will not be going to the government directly because we continue to be concerned about consolidating democracy, human rights, and rule of law."
As Zimbabwe launches a debate about "national healing" after years of political violence, the country's prime minister has told the BBC that those found responsible for a wave of killings and torture should "not necessarily" be sent to jail.
At the same time, some victims have expressed concern they will never see justice or compensation.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was speaking in Harare where the new unity government has just unveiled an "Organ for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration" or ONHRI.
Mr Tsvangirai, who has himself been severely beaten by members of President Robert Mugabe's security forces, stressed that he was "not just saying - forgive, heal and reconcile".
But he said "justice needs forgiveness… and if we do retributive justice, the danger is that we may slide back" towards violence.
What reconciliation?
John Nkomo, a senior figure in Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF, and chairman of ONHRI, said that "anyone who has broken the law should be put on trial".
But he also argued against a rush to judgment.
"Yes, people were killed; yes, people fight; yes, they may still be fighting, but… this nation is going through a process and these tensions, unless properly managed, could create more tensions for us and we don't want that."
None of this seems likely to reassure Emmanuel Chiroto.
One year ago, a group of Zanu-PF militia abducted his wife, Abigail, from their home on the edge of Harare.
Mr Chiroto, an MDC activist, had just been elected the city's deputy mayor. His wife's badly beaten body was found on a roadside soon afterwards.
"I've got the names of six people responsible," said Mr Chiroto, wandering round the ruins of his home, which was firebombed during the attack.
"They live round here. I see them often. But none of them have even been picked up for questioning."
Last week he says he received two threatening phone calls from a male voice saying: "You're forgetting what happened to your wife. Our intention was to kill you."
"We're told things are changing," Mr Chiroto said. "The unity government is in place. But personally I find it very difficult to forgive people who are still boasting about it."
Another MDC activist, Josphat Chidindi, was attacked with an axe on 25 June this year by two men who, he says, were the same Zanu-PF militants who had nearly killed him a year earlier.
His right arm was nearly severed and remains heavily bandaged.
"They wanted to silence me at all costs," he said, dismissing talk of reconciliation in Zimbabwe as "nonsense".
"I want these men to face trial, but I don't think justice will be done as long as Zanu-PF is part of this inclusive government… There is no future to talk about," he said.
Many human rights activists also appear to be sceptical about ONHRI's work.
Maria Mache, from the Crisis Coalition, dismissed it as "a farce".
"We want the perpetrators of violence, those who abducted others, who did so many atrocities in Zimbabwe to be brought to book. We can't talk about reconciliation until there has been transitional justice," she said.
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has called off his party's boycott of the unity government with President Robert Mugabe.
Mr Tsvangirai said he was giving Mr Mugabe 30 days to implement the power-sharing agreement on "the pertinent issues we are concerned about".
The prime minister was speaking after regional crisis talks in Mozambique.
The MDC accuses Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF of continuing to harass its activists and acting in "bad faith".
The Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc), which is the guarantor of last year's power-sharing agreement, urged all parties to respect the deal and said they had 15-30 days to "engage in dialogue".
The meeting in Maputo is not offering a magic bullet. The parties have the next 15-30 days to "engage in dialogue".
The MDC has interpreted that to mean that a clear timetable is to be set for the swearing-in of governors and its nominee for deputy agriculture minister - Roy Bennett. It also expects its partner in government to address other outstanding issues of the global political agreement, in particular the appointment of the governor of the central bank and the attorney general.
But what if that does not happen, what are the sanctions available?
The MDC has taken some solace that South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has promised to take stock of the situation in 30 days' time. But there has been little sign of the "more vocal" stance President Zuma's ANC party has promised on Zimbabwe.
Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change says outstanding issues should be agreed within 15 days and thenimplemented within 30 days.
Mr Mugabe did not speak to the media after the summit.
Mozambican President Armando Guebuza said he thought the situation would change within 30 days.
Sadc head Tomaz Salomao said South Africa's President Jacob Zuma would soon visit Zimbabwe to evaluate progress.
The next Zimbabwe cabinet meeting is on Tuesday, and MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said his party's ministers would attend.
Mr Tsvangirai walked out of the coalition government on 16 October in protest at the detention of a senior MDC official on terrorism charges and over Mr Mugabe's failure to implement political agreements.
The official, Roy Bennett, was later released on bail and is due to go on trial on Monday on charges of terrorism, insurgency, sabotage and banditry.
He was arrested in February, as he was due to be sworn in as deputy agriculture minister.
The MDC also said there had been "increased violent" attacks on party members by militants from President Mugabe's Zanu-PF, as well as renewed invasions of white-owned farms.
Last week, Zanu-PF described the allegations as "cheap propaganda".
Mr Tsvangirai's allies also accuse Mr Mugabe of making key appointments, such as the attorney general, the central bank governor, provincial governors and diplomats, without consulting them.
Zanu-PF says the MDC has not done enough to attract foreign aid and investment since it joined the government to end the impasse following last year's disputed elections.
The unity government has managed to halt Zimbabwe's economic collapse but donors remain wary of resuming funding.