MDC-T Vice president Thokozani Khupe who was on Tuesday attacked at the funeral of the late MDC-T founding leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, said that she was threatened with death and told to go back to Matabeleland. She was attacked with stones, umbrellas and other makeshift weapons and said that the only thing that stopped the hut they were hiding in from burning was the rain. Khupe was attacked together with MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora, MDC-T MP Lwazi Sibanda, among others. In an interview with Voice of America, Khupe said
...We have criminal sons who beat me and others. People must learn to respect the dead. As we arrived at the homestead we wanted to greet gogo but they called us names and said they will kill us.
…they beat us with stones, umbrellas and any items they could lay their hands on. They called us dissidents saying we should go back to Matabeleland. It was me, Douglas Mwonzora, Abednico Bhebhe, Lwazi Sibanda, and several other people. One stone hit me on my back. I am in pain as I speak right now.
One man asked us to go into his hut. Those thugs threatened to burn the hut but we were lucky that it was raining and so the thatch could not catch the fire. They threw a burning log into the hamlet. If it was not raining, we were going to die. But I went back to attend the funeral to make sure that he (Tsvangirai) was laid to rest.
Nelson Chamisa later apologised for the violence on air saying:
I tried to apologize and I still apologize. Whoever did it is trying to have an agenda that is foreign. She (Khupe) has been the longest-serving vice presidents and has been loyal to the MDC. We need to be vigilant. This apology goes to Khupe, secretary general Mwonzora and others. I apologize.
Tsvangirai who died last Wednesday from colon cancer was buried next to his first wife Susan in Hamunikwa village in the Buhera area.
Here is the video of Khupe narrating the attack.
More: Voice of America