Morgan Tsvangirai apologises. "If I say something incoherent you must forgive me. It's the after-effects of the beating Mugabe's thugs gave me."
The leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) looks a lot better than when he was taken to hospital after being beaten by police a few weeks ago. The grotesque swelling around his eyes which shocked the world has subsided. But there is a deep scar on his scalp.
I ask him how he has coped. He smiles. "I have been living with this kind of stress for nine years. You learn to be resilient. My wife Susan has been with me all the way, she has been my strength."
He changes the subject, reluctant to talk about personal matters. During the past two months, he tells me, a total of 600 MDC activists have been abducted, beaten and tortured |
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Our man in Harare enjoys an exclusive interview with the leader of the MDC |
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by President Mugabe's hit squads. "There is now a total onslaught against the entire leadership, including the middle and lower ranks of the party. Everyone associated with the MDC has been declared a legitimate target."
Tsvangirai dismisses with contempt Mugabe's allegations that the MDC is responsible for recent bombings. It is a familiar Mugabe trick, he says, to invent reasons to arrest people.
In 1981, he recalls, Zanu-PF planted arms on the marginalised Ndebele tribe, and this was used to justify the infamous Gukurahundi massacre in which thousands died.
He's equally sombre when considering what happens next in Zimbabwe. I ask him if he thinks South Africa's "quiet diplomacy" policy will succeed? "I am not a disciple of quiet diplomacy, but I wish Thabo Mbeki all the best in trying to negotiate a solution to the crisis." 
FIRST POSTED APRIL 16, 2007
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