Charges against opposition leader dropped

Zimbabwe’s Attorney-General shelved plans on Wednesday to prosecute opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai, the ‘Financial Gazette’ reported.
Tsvangirai faced possible prosecution over a speech calling for the violent removal of President Robert Mugabe.
The government reportedly could not reach a consensus on how to proceed with the case. Some senior ZANU-PF officials had expressed reservations over the proposed case against the former labour leader.

Attorney-General Andrew Chigovera told the ‘Financial Gazette’ that he was unsure whether any of the charges that could be levelled against Tsvangirai could lead to a successful conviction given the intricacy of the matter.

The prosecution of the MDC leader was announced after Tsvangirai told supporters celebrating the party’s first birthday at Rufaro Stadium in September that Mugabe would be removed violently if he did not leave his office peacefully. Tsvangirai later recanted his statement saying he had merely warned Mugabe to solve Zimbabwe’s worst economic crisis or face a backlash from an angry population.