Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Denies Plotting to Kill Mugabe

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai testified at his treason trial Wednesday that he did discuss “eliminating” President Robert Mugabe, but he said he meant it in a political sense and never plotted to kill him.

Tsvangirai, who leads the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, has denied charges of planning to kill Mugabe and stage a coup ahead of Zimbabwe’s 2002 elections.

The government’s case against Tsvangirai, who could face the death penalty if convicted, hinges mainly on a videotape of a meeting he had with Canadian-based political consultant Ari Ben-Menashe, during which prosecutors say Mugabe’s “elimination” was discussed.

On his third day on the stand, Tsvangirai said Ben-Menashe had “trapped” him into discussing Mugabe’s elimination -- in the political sense.

“I was using the word ‘elimination’ after it had been explained to me that it means the president would not participate in the elections,” he said. There were suggestions that Mugabe had accepted a plan to retire months before the March 2002 voting, he said.

The trial of Tsvangirai, 51, a former trade unionist, comes against a background of worsening tension between Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF party and opponents of his 24-year rule.

The MDC has emerged as the most potent challenge to Mugabe since the country gained independence from Britain in 1980, and it went into the 2002 elections confident it was on the verge of winning the presidency.

Mugabe was eventually declared the victor, despite claims of vote-rigging and electoral fraud lodged by the MDC and international observers.

Tsvangirai faces a separate treason trial on charges he sought to overthrow Mugabe through mass protests last June.

He denied Ben-Menashe’s testimony that he was desperate to kill Mugabe, saying he had merely discussed how Zimbabwe’s army should revert to its professional role of bolstering democracy.