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JOHANNESBURG : Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was Saturday to return home to begin election campaigning ahead of a presidential run-off election, despite fears of an assassination plot.
"Mr Tsvangirai is looking forward to going back. He has achieved what he wanted to achieve with his regional diplomacy," his spokesman told AFP late Friday.
He said there were still concerns about security because of ongoing violence in Zimbabwe but that Tsvangirai was determined to begin campaigning against veteran President Robert Mugabe who he will face in a June 27 run-off.
"With ongoing violence, Mr Tsvangirai's security is obviously of concern," he added.
Tsvangirai has been out of Zimbabwe since shortly after a first round of elections on March 29 in a bid to lobby regional leaders to pressure Mugabe into allowing free and fair elections.
He has twice announced his intention to return only to delay the move.
Last weekend he pulled out of a trip back at the last moment, citing an assassination plot.
His party's number two, Tendai Biti, has claimed that Tsvangirai, who faces the threat of a treason charge in his homeland, was one of dozens of top opposition figures on an army hitlist. The government denies the allegations.
Tsvangirai beat Mugabe in the first round of presidential elections in March but without an absolute majority.
The aftermath of the elections has been marked by delays and political violence, with followers of Mugabe's ZANU-PF accused of conducting a campaign of terror against supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
Mugabe, now fighting for his political life after nearly three decades in power, accused the MDC of embarking on "an evil crusade" Wednesday and blamed it for the mounting violence.
Tsvangirai's long absence from Zimbabwe had begun to raise questions about his leadership qualities, with some accusing him of lacking the courage to return at a time when his supporters were being beaten up.
- AFP/vm
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