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| Morgan Tsvangirai | |
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President of the MDC | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2000 | |
| Born | March 10 1952 Gutu, Southern Rhodesia |
|---|---|
| Political party | Movement for Democratic Change |
| Spouse | Susan Tsvangirai |
| Residence | Avondale, Harare |
| Occupation | President of the MDC |
| Religion | Christian |
| Website | http://www.mdc.co.zw |
| Zimbabwe |
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Morgan Tsvangirai (Shona IPA: [tsvaŋgiˈra.i]: the \'s\' and the \'v\' are coärticulated), born March 10, 1952, is a trade unionist, human rights activist, Democrat and President of the mainstream BBC News. Constitutional deal in Zimbabwe. Movement for Democratic Change, the main opposition party in Zimbabwe.
Tsvangirai was born in the Gutu area in then-Southern Rhodesia, the eldest of nine children and the son of a carpenter and bricklayer. After leaving school early, in 1974 he started working for the Trojan Nickel Mine in Mashonaland Central. He spent ten years at the mine, rising from plant operator to general foreman.
Tsvangirai is a product of important social movements in Zimbabwe, which include the labour and constitutional reform movements. He is the former Secretary General of the powerful Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and is the founding chairperson of the National Constitutional Assembly, a group that advocates for a new constitution for Zimbabwe.
Tsvangirai became branch chairman of the Associated Mine Workers Union and was later elected into the executive of the National Mine Workers Union, and in 1989 he became the Secretary-General of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, the umbrella trade union organization in the country.
It was Tsvangirai who led the ZCTU away from its alliance with the ruling Zanu PF. As his power and that of the movement grew, his relationship with the Government deteriorated. He has also been a victim of premeditated and government-inspired harassment and violence. There have been three assassination attempts,Profile: Morgan Tsvangirai. Movement for Democratic Change., which include the 1997 attempt, where unknown assailants burst into his tenth story office and tried to throw him out of the window.
In 1999 he founded and organized the Movement for Democratic Change, an opposition party opposed to Mugabe\'s rule.
Tsvangirai lost the March 2002 presidential election to Robert Mugabe of the ruling Zanu-PF party. The election provoked widespread allegations that Mugabe had rigged the election, through the use of violence, media bias, and manipulation of the voter\'s roll, leading to abnormally high pro-Mugabe turnout in some areas.
Tsvangirai was arrested after the 2000 elections and charged with treason; this charge was later dismissed. BBC News. Profile: Morgan Tsvangirai.Tsvangirai denies he plotted to eliminate Mugabe. In 2004, Tsvangirai was acquitted of treason for an alleged plot to assassinate Mugabe in the run-up to the 2002 presidential elections. George Bizos, a South African human rights lawyer who was part of the team that defended Nelson Mandela, headed Tsvangirai\'s defence team.
Three years after Zimbabwe got its independence, Robert Mugabe ordered the army to descend on the people of Matebeland and punish them for their loyalty to Joshua Nkomo.The operation was code named Gukurahundi. Morgan Tsvangirai questioned the motive of the massacre with the ZANU PF leadership in 1984 "\'We\'re not seeking retribution\'", The Guardian. .To date he has periodically toured the mass graves of the victims in Tsholotsho,Kezi, Lupane,Nkayi and other places in Rural Matebeland. Addressing villagers in Maphisa in 2001 he said,“This was a barbaric operation by Zanu PF.It should never have happened. “It was a sad episode in our history and the MDC will obviously want to see justice being done if it comes to power. Such human rights abuses should be revisited and those responsible will have to account for their actions.” "Tsvangirai tours mass graves of Gukurahundi victims for the third time", Daily News, 2001-04-10. "Tsholotsho Villagers defy war vets to listen to Tsvangirai", The Zimbabwe Situation News.
Morgan Tsvangirai served as Chairman of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) in 1997 which was formed as a grouping of individual Zimbabwean citizens and civic organisations including, labour movements, student and youth groups, women groups, churches, business groups and human rights organisations. These individuals and groups formed the NCA to campaign for constitutional reform after realizing that the political, social and economic problems affecting Zimbabwe were mainly a result of the defective Lancaster House Constitution and can only be resolved through a new and democratic constitution. He stepped down after being elected president of the MDC. "NCA task force", NCA.
In 2001 Morgan Tsvangirai was awarded the prestigious 2001 Solidar Silver Rose Award.The award was for outstanding achievement by an individual or organisation in the activities of civil society and in bringing about a fairer and more just society.
At a crucial period for world stability, the Solidar Silver Rose Award winners “show the positive change that can be brought about by determined individuals and organisations”, the citation read."Solidar Award nominations invited", NCA.
Tsvangirai was arrested after the government alleged that he had threatened President Robert Mugabe. The Movement for Democratic Change leader had told 40,000 supporters at a rally in Harare that if Mr Mugabe did not want to step down before the next elections scheduled for 2002 "we will remove you violently".
"However Tsvangirai said that he was giving a warning to President Mugabe to consider history. There is a long line of dictators who have refused to go peacefully - and the people have removed them violently," he said.
The courts dismissed the charges."Police consider Tsvangirai arrest", BBC.
In May 2003 Tsvangirai was arrested on a Friday afternoon shortly after giving a press conference, the government alleged he had incited violence. In the press conference he had said:
"From Monday, June 2, up to today June 6, Mugabe was not in charge of this country.
He was busy marshaling his forces of repression against the sovereign will of the people of Zimbabwe.
However, even in the context of the brutalities inflicted upon them, the people\'s spirit of resistance was not broken.
The sound of gunfire will never silence their demand for change and freedom.""Morgan Tsvangirai arrested on Friday afternoon", Zvakwana.
Is a biography of Morgan Tsvangirai written by Sarah Huddlestone , tracing his trade union roots, his rise to the leadership of the Movement for Democratic Change and the Mugabe regime’s attempts to implicate him in a clumsy treason plot. http://www.africabookcentre.com/acatalog/index.html?http%3A//www.africabookcentre.com/acatalog/Biography_Zimbabwe.html&CatalogBody
Face of Courage:Morgan Tsvangirai
On March 11, 2007 a day after his 55th birthday, Tsvangirai was arrested on his way to a prayer rally in the Harare township of Highfield."Zimbabwe opposition leader arrested", Al Jazeera English.
Morgan Tsvangirai talks to the media from his hospital bed after being arrested and beaten.
His wife was allowed to see him in prison, after which she reported that he had been heavily tortured by police, resulting in deep gashes on his head and a badly swollen eye."Zimbabwe police accused of torture", Associated Press, March 12 2007. . The event garnered an international outcry and was considered particularly brutal and extreme, even for a regime as nefarious as Mugabe\'s.
He was tortured by a crack commando unit based at the army’s Cranborne Barracks on March 12, 2007 after being arrested and held at Machipisa Police Station in the Highfield suburb of Harare.
"He was in bad shape, he was swollen very badly. He was bandaged on the head. You couldn\'t distinguish between the head and the face and he could not see properly," Innocent Chagonda, an attorney, told Reuters after visiting a Harare police station where Tsvangirai was being held."Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe\'s Tsvangirai beaten, hurt in custody: lawyer", Reuters, 2007-03-12.
A Zimbabwean freelance cameraman, Edward Chikombo smuggled out of the country of television pictures of the badly injured opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai after he was beaten. He was later abducted from his home in the Glenview township outside Harare. His body was later discovered on the weekend near the village of Darwendale, 80 kilometres west of the capital, Harare. This has been part of a pattern of abductions and punishment beatings that has become a terrifying nightly ritual in Zimbabwe, where scores of opposition activists and their relatives have been attacked by government sanctioned gangs using unmarked cars and police-issue weapons."Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe journalist murdered \'over leaked Tsvangirai pictures\'", The Independent, 2007-04-04.
According to Tendai Biti, a MP who was arrested along with Tsvangirai, Tsvangirai suffered a cracked skull and "must have passed out at least three times." Tsvangirai was subsequently admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at a local hospital.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6447793.stm Reports from BBC News indicate that Tsvangirai suffered from a fractured skull and received blood transfusions for internal bleeding. Although the incident was a clear case of political violence ordered by Robert Mugabe, Tsvangirai has since had very little political support from surrounding African countries.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6449691.stm
Tsvangirai was released, but on March 28, Zimbabwean police stormed the Movement for Democratic Change 44 Harvest House national headquarters and once again arrested him, hours before he was to speak with the media about recent political violence in the country."Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Seized", Associated Press, March 28, 2007.
The arrest of Tsvangirai and a crackdown on opposition officials that followed was widely condemned.
Australia - Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in a statement that the Zimbabwe government should immediately release those arrested, lift the ban on political activity and implement immediate reforms. The statement takes direct aim at the policies of President Mugabe, stating that:
"(the arrests) are clear signs of the Mugabe Government’s desperation to cling to power in the face of its growing unpopularity amongst the people of Zimbabwe. The Mugabe Government’s disastrous policies have crippled a once thriving economy, leaving Zimbabweans enduring hyper-inflation at over 1600%, over 80% of the population unemployed and living below the poverty line and with the lowest life expectancy of any country in the world."[1]
Canada - On March 12, Foreign Minister Peter MacKay issued a statement condemning the violence in Zimbabwe and simultaneously calling for the release of all arrested.[2]
Ireland - In a statement, Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern condemned the actions of the Zimbabwe authorities and called on that country\'s government to immediately cease all such activities and to adopt a new policy of dialogue and engagement with the outside world.[3]
Mauritius - The Government of Mauritius issued a communiqué on March 19, in which it stated that it viewed:
"with concern the arrest, detention and assault of the opposition leaders...." It went on to urge that the Government of Zimbabwe "...ensure that the basic rights and fundamental freedoms of all Zimbabweans are observed."[4]
New Zealand - Foreign Minister Winston Peters called for the immediate release of Tsvangirai and his colleagues.[5]
UK — British Prime Minister Tony Blair\'s comments on the events of March 11 were:
"People should be able to live under the rule of law. They should be able to express their political views without harassment or intimidation or violence. And what is happening in Zimbabwe is truly tragic".Call for extra Zimbabwe sanctions. BBC News. March 14 2007
South Africa - South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad has gone on the record saying that:
South Africa is concerned about the crackdown and asked the Zimbabwean government "to ensure that the rule of law including respect for rights of all Zimbabweans and leaders of various political parties is respected."[6] The government stopped short of a condemnation, much less any sanctions.
Sweden — Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt says in his official blog:Övergrepp i Zimbabwe, from Carl Bildt\'s official blog Alla dessa dagar, March 13 2007. Retrieved: 2007-03-19
"It\'s totally obvious that the brutal acts of cruelty against freedom of assembly and freedom of speech committed by the Zimbabwean government during the peaceful meeting of prayers on March 11 must be firmly condemned."
USA — The United States is considering further sanctions against the leadership of Zimbabwe following the event.Additional Zimbabwe Sanctions Possible, State Department Says. USINFO. March 14, 2007
Wikinews has related news:
Tsvangirai met Prime Minister of Australia John Howard in Melbourne,and after talks told the media that countries like Australia can play a very important role in the struggle against President Robert Mugabe\'s regime. Australia important in Mugabe struggle: Tsvangirai Howard meets Tsvangirai, looks forward to a new Zimbabwe
In September 2007 it was widely reported that Tsvangirai met Thabo Mbeki, the President of South Africa for crucial talks with on how to speed up talks between the ruling ZANU PF and the Movement for Democratic Change party. Tsvangirai to meet Mbeki over talks
On 25 October 2007 it was reported that Nhamo Musekiwa who was Morgan Tsvangirai\'s bodyguard since the formation of the MDC in 1999, had died from complication resulting from injuries sustained in March 2007 during a crackdown by the government. The MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said Musekiwa had been vomiting blood since March 11, when he is alleged to have been severely beaten by police along with other opposition officials and members including Tsvangirai himself. That day police halted a prayer meeting and in the ensuing confrontation one MDC activist was shot dead. MDC activist Nhamo Musekiwa dies Aide To Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Tsvangirai Dies Of March Injuries
Political parties in Zimbabwe  | |
|---|---|
| Ruling party | Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) |
| Opposition | Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)- Zimbabwe African National Union - Ndonga (ZANU-Ndonga) - National Alliance for Good Governance (NAGG)- Zimbabwe People\'s Democratic Party - Zimbabwe Youth in Alliance (ZYA)- International Socialist Organisation (ISO) |
| Defunct Parties | Zimbabwe African People\'s Union (ZAPU) - Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) - Rhodesian Front (RF) |
| Key People | Robert Mugabe (ZANU-PF) - Ndabaningi Sithole (ZANU) - Joshua Nkomo (ZANU) - Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC) |
| Portal:Politics - List of political parties - Politics of Zimbabwe | |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Tsvangirai, Morgan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 10, 1952 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Gutu, Zimbabwe |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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