Mnangagwa pays tribute to Tsvangirai

President Emmerson Mnangagwa today paid tribute to the founding leader of the Movement for Democratic Change Morgan Tsvangirai who died in South Africa on 14 February last year.

He said he remembered Tsvangirai for his patriotism and lifelong commitment to Zimbabwean unity and democracy.

“One year after Morgan Tsvangirai left us, we remember his patriotism as well as his lifelong commitment to Zimbabwean unity and democracy. Now, more than ever, we need to work together as we build our new Zimbabwe,” Mnangagwa said on his twitter handle.

Mnangagwa’s comments came when Tsvangirai’s successor Nelson Chamisa was reported to be bitter about Tsvangirai’s family inviting Mnangagwa to Tsvangirai’s memorial.

The memorial was initially penciled for today but was moved to 4 May.

While the Tsvangirai family said they needed more time to prepare, the MDC said it could not hold the memorial at a time when the MDC family was in mourning after the killing of several people and the arrest of several party legislators following last month’s anti-government protests.

Chamisa today said Tsvangirai died a bitter man because he was betrayed by Mnangagwa.

“Mudhara Tsvangirai died a very disappointed man. Why was he disappointed, because he was betrayed by people who had agreed to have a transitional arrangement? They then went to elections without the reforms, without the transitional arrangement, this what our mother was saying,” Chamisa said.

The military and the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front emphasised from the first day that they intervened that they were rescuing the party from those who had hijacked the revolution.

Mnangagwa has repeatedly said that he does not entertain a transitional arrangement or a government of national unity.

Herald columnist Reason Wafawarova put it aptly on Monday when he wrote: “Operation Restore Legacy was a ZANU-PF project, planned and executed by ZANU-PF cadres in order to restore the legacy of ZANU-PF, then threatened by Jonathan Moyo’s strategy of destroying the liberation movement from within through the capture of Robert Mugabe and his wife by the reactionary G40.

“This was ZANU-PF rescuing itself and re-inventing its own legacy; and purely for the love of deposing Robert Mugabe, the opposition found itself as dedicated allies and comrades of ZANU-PF cadres that were cleansing their own movement.”

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