MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, who succumbed to cancer of the colon in South Africa on Wednesday night, has been accorded a State-assisted funeral, President Mnangagwa has said. Speaking on the sidelines of the official opening of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) new headquarters in Harare, President Mnangagwa said Government would assist in every possible way to ensure a dignified send-off for Mr Tsvangirai. “We will make him State-assisted funeral,” he said.
“It will be taken by the State. We had him as Prime Minister for a period of five years or so, it’s very important that we as a Government we must pay our respects to one of us.” President Mnangagwa also sent a condolence message to the Tsvangirai family.
He described the former trade unionist as a national figure “who obdurately insisted on free, fair, credible and non-violent elections as a way of strengthening our democracy and our overall re-engagement with the rest of the world”.
Other opposition leaders and organisations also consoled the Tsvangirai family yesterday.
President Mnangagwa expressed his sorrow over the death of Mr Tsvangirai in his condolence message to his family.
“On behalf of the ruling Zanu-PF party, Government, our nation, and that of my family, I wish to express deepest condolences to the Tsvangirai family on the sad passing yesterday (Wednesday) of Morgan Richard Tsvangirai, the former Prime Minister of Zimbabwe and leader of the opposition MDC-T party,” he said.