Zimbabwean opposition leader is buried in rural home

BUHERA, Zimbabwe –  Thousands of people in Zimbabwe have gathered for the burial of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, whose death from cancer exacerbated divisions within a movement preparing for elections this year.

A hearse carrying Tsvangirai’s body in a white casket on Tuesday drove slowly through crowds to a school ground near his rural home in eastern Zimbabwe.

Rival leaders vied for control of the opposition MDC-T party after the death last week of Tsvangirai, a longtime opponent of former President Robert Mugabe who also entered into a flawed power-sharing arrangement with him after disputed elections.

Party leader Nelson Chamisa said at the burial that the movement heads will unite.

Mugabe resigned after a military takeover in November, and his successor, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, says elections will be held as scheduled this year.