VZCZCXRO4008
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0194/01 0681333
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 091333Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4150
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2683
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2804
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 1270
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2072
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 2428
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2852
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 5280
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1973
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000194 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/S FOR B.WALCH 
DRL FOR N. WILETT 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR J. HARMON AND L. DOBBINS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PHUM ZI
SUBJECT: TSVANGIRAI'S CAR ACCIDENT 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (U) THIS IS AN ACTION REQUEST, PLEASE SEE PARAGRAPH 10. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Ambassador spoke with Prime Minister Morgan 
Tsvangirai on March 7, and USAID officials and Zimbabwean 
lawyers spoke with witnesses on the same day.  It is clear 
that the incident in which Mr. Tsvangirai's car was struck 
and his wife lost her life was an unfortunate accident.  In 
the midst of growing confusion in Zimbabwe about what took 
place and whether ZANU-PF was possibly involved, Tsvangirai 
spoke to the press today and affirmed that this was an 
accident.  Tsvangirai is in good physical health, but appears 
emotionally devastated.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Tsvangirai and his wife Susan were passengers in 
the second car of a three-car convoy at about 4 pm local time 
on March 6 traveling about 75 kilometers south of Harare en 
route to Tsvangirai's rural home of Buhera.  Tsvangirai told 
the Ambassador at the hospital on March 7 that he heard a 
loud noise, looked up, and saw a truck traveling in the 
opposite direction hit a buckled portion of the road.  The 
truck swerved to avoid the first car in Tsvangirai's convoy, 
then appeared to hit soft tar and lost control.  It then 
struck the rear side of Tsvangirai's car which then 
overturned.  Tsvangirai told the Ambassador there was a 
one-in-one-thousand chance that this was an intentional act. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The truck that hit Tsvangirai was the lead truck of 
a two-truck team that was part of a health project supporting 
the distribution of HIV commodities in Zimbabwe.  The driver 
of the second truck, Daniso Machipisa, said the incident 
occurred on a patch of road that had just been repaired.  The 
tar had been built into a hump across the road at the end of 
the patch and was still wet.  The driver of the truck that 
struck Tsvangirai, Mwanda, told Machipisa after the incident 
that he drove through a patch of wet tar and over the wet 
hump at which point his truck swerved and side-swiped what 
turned out to be Tsvangirai's vehicle.  (NOTE:  The 
Harare-Masvingo road where the crash occurred is notorious 
for potholes and accidents.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶5.  (SBU) According to witnesses, Susan Tsvangirai was 
ejected from the car.  She was taken to a local hospital but 
was either dead on arrival or died shortly thereafter. 
Mwanda was taken to a nearby police station and has been in 
custody since. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Both trucks belong to a contractor whose HIV/AIDS 
work is co-financed by the U.S. and UK.  The trucks, which 
were purchased by the USG, carry 81 TCE license plates and 
have USAID insignias.  The "81" refers to the U.S. and the 
"TCE" indicates they are involved in assistance.  The plate 
confers no diplomatic status although entry is duty free. 
Neither Machipisa nor Mwanda is a USG employee. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) In the Ambassador's March 7 meeting with 
Tsvangirai, the prime minister was lucid and appeared in 
relatively good health considering the circumstance.  He told 
the Ambassador he was focused on the funeral and then 
Qthe Ambassador he was focused on the funeral and then 
returning to his office.  Later in the day, he was flown to 
Botswana for precautionary testing and returned today.  The 
Ambassador saw him soon after his return.  Bandages had been 
removed from his head and he said he felt fine.  In contrast 
to the March 7 meeting, however, he seemed emotionally 
devastated.  No doubt his loss is settling in.  He is 
fortified by the presence at his home of his children and 
other immediate family, and hundreds of well-wishers from his 
home village and from the MDC. 
 
HARARE 00000194  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶8.  (U) Upon returning from Botswana, Tsvangirai spoke to the 
press and stated that the incident was an accident, and not 
foulplay.  He told journalists, as he had told the Ambassador 
on March 7, that there was a one-in-one-thousand chance that 
this was intentional.  The MDC has said it believes the crash 
was an accident, but said it would conduct an investigation. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) A private church service will take place tomorrow 
(Tsvangirai's 57th birthday), and later in the day a public 
memorial event in a local stadium.  The funeral will take 
place in Buhera on Wednesday. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) ACTION REQUEST:  In the wake of the accident, 
there has been significant confusion about what took place 
and speculation about whether ZANU-PF was involved. 
Tsvangirai's statement to the press was a positive step.  MDC 
spokesman and Minister of Information Nelson Chamisa 
requested that the USG issue a statement supporting 
Tsvangirai's statement.  We suggest the following: 
 
"We are aware that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has 
spoken to the press and stated his belief that the incident 
in which his car was struck and his wife killed was an 
accident.  This is our understanding as well.  We again 
extend our condolences to Mr. Tsvangirai, his family, and the 
people of Zimbabwe; and wish him the best when he returns to 
work to confront the difficult problems facing Zimbabwe." 
END ACTION REQUEST. 
 
MCGEE