By Mugove Tafirenyika
Dogged opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, the only politician to beat President Robert Mugabe in an election, announced yesterday that he had fully recovered from his recent illness.
This comes as the resurgent MDC leader is involved in coalition talks with former Vice President Joice Mujuru’s Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) and 13 other smaller parties, in their bid to topple Mugabe and Zanu PF from power in the watershed 2018 elections.
Before yesterday’s announcement, which lifted the spirits of millions of his supporters, Tsvangirai had announced in May this year that he was suffering from cancer of the colon — later going on to have successful surgery in South Africa.
The visibly recovered and fired up former prime minister in the Government of National Unity told thousands of his supporters from Harare province yesterday, who gathered in the capital for the party’s annual festive season address, that he was back to full fitness.
“If we can defeat cancer we can defeat Zanu PF. I am feeling very healthy now and I am confident that we are going to win the 2018 elections.
“Some have said the MDC has no post-election plan of how to take this country forward. Today, I want to run you through our major areas of focus when, and not if we form the next government,” the upbeat Tsvangirai said.
Until recently, the MDC president had been written off as yesterday’s man by his detractors, who crassly wished that he would never recover from his illness.
Among the mean-spirited Zanu PF officials and other ruling party apparatchiks who showed little empathy to Tsvangirai when he was diagnosed with cancer were maverick Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister, Mandiitawepi Chimene, and a few State media retards.
Bizarrely and falsely too, Chimene said then that the MDC leader was being punished for having allegedly wished Mugabe dead.
“Tsvangirai is suffering with cancer. It’s payback time for wishing president … Mugabe to die, but Mugabe does not have cancer. Who are we to question God’s will?” she said.
On Tuesday this week, Tsvangirai also gave the strongest hint to date that he is raring to lead the mooted grand coalition in the 2018 national elections, when he set clear conditions for the mooted pact.
He also said opposition parties needed to field a candidate in 2018 with a real chance of winning that year’s poll.
“The presidential candidate must be selected on the basis of the best individual who can win an election for the coalition against the incumbent. The party, based on past performance and other factors, and which is the strongest electorally in a given constituency must also field the candidate for the coalition.
“The MDC is persuaded to be part a people-based pre-election pact for the reasons that we are a people-based party with an electoral history and which subscribes to the democratic principle that the authority to govern is derived from the people,” he said.
Analysts have consistently said that a united opposition, fighting with one purpose, would bring to an end Mugabe’s long rule — especially at this time when the country’s economy is dying and the increasingly frail nonagenarian is battling to keep his warring Zanu PF united.
Since Mujuru joined hands with Tsvangirai and marched with him in the streets of Gweru in August this year — in a rare public display of unity among the opposition — there have been growing calls by fed up citizens for the formation of a grand opposition alliance. Daily News
