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Tsvangirai cannot have his cake and eat it.
He has done so many times with impunity.

His call for the lifting of sanctions was always suspect. How could we have expected a man who invited those sanctions in the first place to call for their lifting?
Many of us still remember the pathetic picture of Tsvangirai coming off the plane at Johannes-burg International Airport with the children of Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri and Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa who had been deported from Australia.

His own daughter remained there.
We also remember the thousands of deaths from cholera because Zimbabwe could not procure equipment and water treatment chemicals because of sanctions supported by Tsvangirai and the MDC-T.
Coincidentally, that cholera ended when Tsva-ngirai joined the inclusive Government.

So when he says sanctions are targeted at Zanu-PF officials, he is merely courting our ire. Calling them “restrictive measures” smacks of either ignorance; arrogance or sheer vacuousness.
Tsvangirai refused to honour the Kariba Draft which was negotiated by the main political parties saying it was outdated. He did not say which parts of that draft were outdated.
His MDC-T party and civil society organisations then suggested that there has to be a “people-driven constitution” and the current constitutional reform process started.

Now they want that reversed; and another “Kariba Draft” written.
We cannot allow this man to run the affairs of the country like he runs his own household.
A lot of resources have been expended in the process and we cannot allow the prime minister’s tantrums to break such an honourable exercise.
Tsvangirai has realised that the outcome of the new constitution will not go in favour of MDC-T and that he is nearing his doomsday, hence he wants the new constitution negotiated.

MDC-T spokesperson Nelson Chamisa made a ridiculous statement recently to online media.
He said “the people” want the constitution negotiated and the prime minister is merely stating what “the people” want.
Chamisa should not hoodwink all of us in broad daylight talking about “the people”.

His and Mr Tsvangirai’s narcissistic tendencies should be stopped forthwith. We cannot allow what happened in Mbare two weeks back to derail a process that has been virtually incident free up to now.
How come Zanu-PF allowed, and still allows, that process to go on when MDC-T supported sanctions are killing people daily?

The MDC-T can claim all victims of violence if they want. That is nothing compared to the suffering they caused by inviting sanctions. They are the gangsters. How many people died from the effects of the sanctions?

The MDC-T should stop this nonsense about violence. Their violence is there for all to see. Their desire to see Zimbabwe “crashing and burning” is as clear as day. The problems encountered in the constitution-making process are to be expected in a country that has been bruised and battered. Tsvangirai and Chamisa can boycott all they want; but they should never claim to represent the people’s view on the constitution.

There will be a referendum and people will speak then.
We should either now go back to the Kariba Draft, rather than start another useless MDC-T driven exercise; or simply let Copac finish off the exercise and go to referendum.
In the meantime, Tsvangirai can bark all he wants.

Nancy Lovedale writes from Beijing in China and can be reached via nancy_lovedale@yahoo. com This article originally appeared on www.talkzimbabwe.com