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40 000 turn up to bury Amai Tsvangirai
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
March 12, 2009

About 40 000 thousand people from all the corners of the country and the world yesterday converged at Humanikwa Village in Buhera to bury Amai Susan Nyaradzo Tsvangirai, the wife of MDC President and the Prime Minister Hon. Morgan Tsvangirai.

Amai Tsvangirai, 51, died last Friday after she was involved in a car accident along the Harare - Masvingo highway on her way to the family's rural home in Buhera.

Among the thousands of mourners who attended the rally were; the Deputy Prime Minister Professor Hon. Arthur Mutambara, Swazi Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku, Kenyan Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi and Buhera's traditional chief, Chief Makumbe. Also present at the funeral were South Africa's Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe and Botswana Minister of Communication, Science and Technology Mrs Pelonomi Moitoi.

Ministers from Zambia and Malawi also came to Buhera to pay their last respects on behalf of their governments, further confirming that Amai Tsvangirai's love and humility had spread beyond the country's borders.

People from all walks of life were at Humanikwa Village to bury Amai Susan Nyaradzo Tsvangirai - the mother of our struggle for peaceful and democratic change in Zimbabwe.

She had fought for years for true democracy in Zimbabwe.

Giving a keynote address at the burial MDC Vice President and Vice Prime Minister, Hon. Thokozani Khupe said everyone was touched by the death of Amai Tsvangirai.

"We are all hurt by the death of Amai Tsvangirai as she united everyone both in the Tsvangirai family and the MDC," she said.

"For Prime Minister Tsvangirai to run the party and perform his Government duties there was a manager behind him. She was a nation builder and the person who was always behind the Prime Minister.

"We want to move the country forward and we want Prime Minister Tsvangirai to be well again so that he leads the MDC in developing the country," said Hon Khupe.

Hon. Khupe said the burial of Amai Tsvangirai was not a funeral but a celebration of her life.

"This is not a funeral but a celebration. We are celebrating the vision of a mother. We are saddened by the death of Amai Tsvangirai but we do not regret," she said.

Amai Tsvangirai stood by her husband during his trial on trumped up charges of treason, four assassination attempts and the 11 March 2007 police beatings including many other forms of harassment and assaults.

Hon. Khupe's sentiments were echoed by Professor Mutambara who said Amai Tsvangirai's death should unite the nation.

"We are mourning a mother for Zanu-PF, a mother for MDC and a mother for my small MDC. The death of Mrs Tsvangirai should unite the people of Zimbabwe," he said.

Professor Mutambara said Amai Tsvangirai deserved to be declared a national heroine.

"If Amai Tsvangirai is not a national heroine, then who is?" he quipped.

In his vote of thanks, MDC secretary-general and Finance Minister Hon Tendai Biti thanked the region and the world for standing by the Tsvangirai family and the MDC during their hour of grief.

He said ANC President Jacob Zuma had offered sanctuary to Hon Tsvangirai and his family to withdraw from public life for a few days to enable them to recover from their grief.

Amai Tsvangirai leaves behind a husband, six children and two grandchildren.

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