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.

"It's a defense issue that I would not want to comment on, except to say that as we are not under any arms embargo, we will continue to source our arms requirements in a regular and official manner," Matonga said.

Sibotshiwe said the MDC was holding consultations "at a very high level" within the regional Southern African Development Community over the alleged assassination plot, and that Tsvangirai was keen to return home as soon as possible.

WIDESPREAD VIOLENCE

Zimbabweans hope the June poll will help end political and economic turmoil which has brought 165,000 percent inflation, 80 percent unemployment, chronic food and fuel shortages and sent a flood of refugees to neighboring countries.

Tsvangirai won the first round on March 29, but not by enough votes to avoid a second round against Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe for nearly three decades.

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade said on Saturday the African Union should oversee the second round.

Wade has attempted to mediate in Zimbabwe's political crisis and met Tsvangirai at a conference in Belfast this week.