Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Injured, Wife Killed
A car crash left the wife of Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai dead and the leader himself injured in the ordeal, and as CNN reports, some are left questioning whether the tragedy really was an accident. Tsvangirai sustained head injuries in the crash and went to nearby Botswana for treatment. He and his wife of 31 years, Susan, were traveling between Buhera and the nation’s capital, Harare, when a truck crashed into their vehicle. Members of Tsvangirai’s party, the Movement for Democratic Change, recently announced that they will be holding a rally in honor of Mrs. Tsvangirai Tuesday, saying she was “a mother to all of us. She was a pillar and foundation to our prime minister.” She is set to be buried in Zimbabwe on Wednesday. Tsvangirai “will definitely be back in the country in time for the burial set for Wednesday and the other formalities that go with the funeral. But I cannot give the media his itinerary as that comprises his security,” MDC spokesman, Nelson Chamisa, said. Mrs. Tsvangirai left behind her husband and six children. Tsvangirai, who not too long ago became part of a unity government with controversial longtime President Robert Mugabe, reportedly told party members he believed the truck drove into them deliberately. Members of the MDC reportedly are conducting their own investigation. Former U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, Tom McDonald, told CNN, that he, too, was skeptical about the crash, considering it’s not the first time Mugabe’s political enemies were involved in car accidents in the nation. He pointed out past fatal wrecks involving former Employment Minister Border Gezi in 1999; Defense Minister Moven Mahachi in 2001; and a government official Elliot Manyika in 2008. He also said, though, that traffic accidents are common in the country.
Haiti Gets $5 Million to Rebuild Schools
Last week, the World Bank announced they will be giving Haiti $5 million to rebuild the schools that were damaged by several storms last year, reports Agence France Presse. In 2008, four huge back-to-back storms (Tropical Storm Fay and hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike) devastated a swathe of the Caribbean nation’s infrastructure, including 1,000 elementary schools. The damaged schools led to a shortened school year for about 200,000 students, said the World Bank in a statement. “The project will set the foundation for the revision of school designs, the use of some schools as community shelters in times of crisis, and increased community ownership in the schools to rebuilt,” a World Bank official said. In total, last year’s storms killed 793 people and caused about $500 million in damage.

TAGS: haiti, Morgan Tsvangirai, Robert Mugabe, storms, Susan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe

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