The saga continues in Zimbabwe but I don't like the way that country is
headed..  Will Mugabe be remembered as a freedom fighter, or will he be
remembered as a dictator with the "Hitlerish" mustache who became a serious
crackpot in his last years as leader?

I think his fate will have some serious implications on how the other budding
African dictators will be perceived by their own people


HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Two more Zimbabwe opposition officials have been
charged with treason in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate
President Robert Mugabe.

The Movement for Democratic Change says its secretary-general, Welshman
Ncube, and member of parliament Renson Gasela were charged and released by
police on Tuesday.

Morgan Tsvangirai, main opposition candidate in the forthcoming presidential
election, was charged with high treason on Monday (full story).

In Zimbabwe, high treason is punishable by death.

The allegations stem from a videotape in which Tsvangirai is said to be seen
talking with members of a lobbying firm, Dickens and Madson, about
"eliminating" Mugabe. Tsvangirai contends he was pushed in the meeting in
Montreal to discuss certain subjects and use certain words so the tape could
then be altered by his political foes.

Ncube and Gasela are said to have attended an earlier meeting with the
Dickens and Madson in London.

The pair were questioned by police on Tuesday and then charged and released.

Tsvangirai vowed to fight on in the presidential election despite the high
treason charge against him.

CNN's Jeff Koinange said Tsvangirai had insisted to him he would win the poll
"hands down, even if in jail or in the grave."

"These are contrived charges," Tsvangirai said about his arrest concerning an
alleged attempt to assassinate Mugabe.

He called it a "conspiracy to undermine my political image in the country"
ahead of the election on March 9-10 (Mugabe election speech) .

In another twist, the man behind the tape former Israeli intelligence
officer, Ari Ben Monashe, surfaced at a luxury hotel in Johannesburg and
denied that he himself had prompted talk of eliminating President Mugabe, to
trap Tsvangirai.

"It wasn't a sting," said Monashe, who is now being paid by the Zimnbabwean
government. "We did not draw him into this, we did not do anything to have
him approach us, we did not approach him, he came to us.

Asked by ITN if this was to kill Robert Mugabe, Monashe smiled and shrugged
and replied: "Obviously that was his purpose, yes."


Lobbyist Ari Ben Monashe: "Tsvangirai approached us"
Tsvangirai was questioned at a police station in Harare on Monday before
being told the charges would be pressed. He was then released and told he
would be summoned later.

"I am concerned this is part of an orchestrated campaign which the government
would like to whip up emotions among their supporters and find me guilty
before I even appeared before the court of law, and cause a lot of commotion
in country."

Tsvangirai said he would not be "disqualified" because of this. He said it is
"improbable" for the government to bring him before the court.

Tsvangirai talked to CNN's Koinange about the videotape of the Montreal
meeting. He said that the lobbying group Dickens and Madison had been working
for the MDC.

He said was being asked "in the event the president does die" what would
happen.

Tsvangirai answered there was a system of rules for presidential succession
and explained them. He said he did not realise that the lobbyists also worked
for Mugabe's party. He said he and his party will take legal action against
the firm.

Tsvangirai said he was being pushed by someone from the lobby group to say
the word "eliminate," but he did not admit to using the word (Journalist
defends tape).

Australia said on Tuesday it could impose sanctions on Zimbabwe should
Tsvangirai not be allowed to contest the election.

U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the charge fell "against
a backdrop of a well-documented campaign of violence and intimidation against
the opposition."

"It appears to be another tragic example of President Mugabe's increasingly
authoritarian rule, his government's apparent determination to intimidate and
repress the opposition as we approach the... presidential election," he said.

"We are aware of no convincing evidence that there is any basis for these
allegations," he said.

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