Zimbabwe's Tsvangirai delays return over "plot"

By Nelson Banya

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai postponed his return home on Saturday to contest an election run-off after his party said it had discovered an assassination plot against him.

Movement for Democratic Change leader Tsvangirai has been out of Zimbabwe for more than a month. He had been due to return from Europe on Saturday to campaign for the June 27 second round ballot against President Robert Mugabe.

"We have received information from a credible source concerning a planned assassination attempt against (party) president Tsvangirai. We are not in a position to say whether this threat concerns the actions of the state or a non-state actor," spokesman George Sibotshiwe said.

"In light of this information, and on the strong recommendation of Mr Tsvangirai's security adviser, it has been decided that the (party) president will not return to Zimbabwe today," he said from neighboring South Africa, where he said Tsvangirai also was.

Zimbabwe's Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga said Tsvangirai should report any security concerns to authorities.

"I do not know that he left the country because of security reasons. There's a run-off on the 27th of June (and) he needs to come home and campaign. Hanging out outside the country won't help his cause," Matonga told Reuters.

"If he's got security concerns he needs to report them to the appropriate authorities. Otherwise he's just grandstanding."

Matonga would not comment on reports that his government had finally taken delivery of a consignment of arms at the centre of controversy since April after South African port workers refused to offload the Chinese-owned ship carrying them, saying the weapons could deepen Zimbabwe's crisis.