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Morgan Tsvangirai

Tichaona Zindoga
Five days ago, a local newspaper thundered with the headline, “Tsvangirai roars back”. For those who are familiar with the dynamics of Zimbabwean politics, historically and as currently in flux, one would be torn on whether to laugh or cry at the headline.

The story was announcing that the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai was due to hold a rally in the eastern border city of Mutare.

But this was more than just an announcement of a routine rally by an opposition party.

It was an attempt by a cheerleading opposition mouthpiece at a rallying cry around a man and party that are on a serious collective and mutual wane.

Let us but sample the story. We were told that, “Fit-again opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is back with a bang and will lead from the front in the planned Mutare MDC demonstration next week — the party’s third major such mass action in as many months — against President Robert Mugabe and Zanu-PF’s misrule.”

The paper quoted Tsvangirai’s spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka, as saying: “President Tsvangirai will definitely be in Mutare. He is in high spirits, and as he himself has said, he is actually more worried about the country’s political economy, which is in a dire state, rather than his health.”

There are a number of things that can be analysed from this expose.

First of all, is the fact that the paper in question is trying too hard to portray Tsvangirai as a fierce and forceful politician who can shake the political landscape of Zimbabwe — the reason why they decided to use the imagery of a roaring beast, say a lion.

Connected to this is the ascription of health to the same roaring, supposedly indomitable lion.

We are told that Tsvangirai is “fit again” and his spokesperson “confirms” that his boss is in excellent health.

It will be ungodly, indeed unAfrican, not to sympathise with any man of ill health, but the fact of the matter is that Tsvangirai who recently came from a major medical procedure in South Africa cannot be anywhere near excellent to undergo the rigours of travel and political campaigning.

It is for this precise reason that we saw him addressing for only four minutes at the party’s march to Africa Unity Square the other time, despite him being touted that he would be “leading from the front”.

We are being told of the same leading from the front drivel again.

It no doubt tells of a man who is being pushed against the will of his frail frame.

It is like flogging a dead horse — in ways more than one.

Granted, Tsvangirai has a strong will and has fought for political supremacy for about a third of his life.

But people tire and it is a reality that should readily register with the cheerleaders of the opposition leader.

Further to this evanescence that is afflicting Tsvangirai physically, is the rapid erosion of his brand.

Brand Morgan Tsvangirai is all but gone.

The Morgan Tsvangirai of 2016 is different from the Tsvangirai of 1999.

That is a fact: Tsvangirai today can only make shallow whimpers of a fading animal — and these are manifest in the low key activities that he and his party are trying to muster to keep themselves relevant.

Mutare, which is coming after a Bulawayo rally that “Tsvangirai was supposed to lead from the front” but was bedridden in South Africa, if it comes to pass, will be no different.

Same poorly whimpers of a fading beast.

But there is a bigger tragedy.

Brand Morgan Tsvangirai is not revolutionary, for Tsvangirai himself is not an idea that can endure the ravages of time.

You would be hard pressed to cast Tsvangirai as an idea: what does he represent?

We have never heard, nor are we likely to hear of, a Tsvangirai Doctrine or Philosophy.

All he has been identifiable with is his attempt to remove President Mugabe from office — the Mugabe-must-go mantra.

God help us all!

The same mantra can be pronounced by any and different players anytime.

In fact, the process of wrestling this mantra from Tsvangirai is well afoot.

That is, at party level there are so many people in MDC-T that are willing, nay working, to see the back of him and his recent affliction has but heightened fights to succeed him.

The manoeuvres are underway, as shall soon be revealed.

And this is coming against a background that a number of attempts on his leadership and political life have been made in the last couple of years.

By 2018, he may be as good as gone.

Because there isn’t a Tsvangirai doctrine or idea to talk about, new inspiration is thus informing the next generation of opposition politics.

They are inspired by the likes of the Arab Spring which was spontaneous and did not bear the agency of organised political formations.

In fact, they were sparked by a self-immolating vendor.

These inspirations — whether they are politically viable or not; desirable or otherwise — are free of any influence of Morgan Tsvangirai.

That is his tragedy.

It would have been ideal for him, facing sure death as he is as a politician, to be able to inspire the next generation of politics.

He does not, and pretty soon Tsvangirai will be a forgotten man.

(This is a bold hazard, but it will also be great to be surprised — life is more excitable that way.)

This brings in the tragic aspect of the piece cited in the opening of this piece.

It would appear that the cheerleaders of the opposition leader know that Tsvangirai’s time is up, but they have decided to put on a brave face at the same time flogging the dead horse Tsvangirai, like their life, depends on it. They hanker after a fine, roaring beast.

Tamborinyoka sounds stoic and almost resigned to the fate of his fading master and how he appears to cast Tsvangirai as a dying martyr, whether intentional or unintentional, is not lost to the discerning eye.