News / National
MDC-T dies
14 Feb 2018 at 19:42hrs | Views
Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has died.
Details surrounding his death were not known but Tsvangirai was suffering from colon cancer and had previously been treated at a Johannesburg hospital.
According to the MDC-T Vice President's Elias Mudzuri's Twitter account @EngMudzuri, and @News24 & @eNCA Tsvangirai, who has been in hospital in South Africa battling colon cancer, passed away on Wednesday. We will update you on the developments.
The former Premier, who served in government during the inclusive government from 2009 to 2013, disclosed that he had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016 and has been in and out of the country to receive treatment in South Africa.
Mr Tsvangirai has led the opposition MDC party since its formation in 1999.
The party has however split several times, the first coming in 2005 and the most recent being just after the 2013 electoral defeat to Zanu PF.
The MDC-T recently entered into a coalition with former allies and other opposition parties with the view of contesting this year's harmonised elections and Mr Tsvangirai was appointed the presidential candidate for the alliance.
However, with Mr Tsvangirai's health deteriorating, the MDC-T has been rocked by divisions as senior officials among them the three party vice presidents; Nelson Chamisa, Elias Mudzuri and Thokozani Khupe are jostling to succeed Mr Tsvangirai.
Tsvangirai had been facing calls to pass on the leadership of MDC-T with the calls growing louder when the party suffered defeat in the 2013 polls. Since then the party has been out-of-sorts and now with his death, the fights are expected to escalate over who will be in charge.
In recent days, both Mudzuri and Nelson Chamisa have claimed to hold the leadership in an acting capacity while Thokozani Khupe remains the only elected vice president and natural successor.
Mr Tsvangirai, who lost his first wife, Susan in an accident in March 2009, is survived by wife, Elizabeth, several children and grand children.
Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.
More details to follow:
Details surrounding his death were not known but Tsvangirai was suffering from colon cancer and had previously been treated at a Johannesburg hospital.
According to the MDC-T Vice President's Elias Mudzuri's Twitter account @EngMudzuri, and @News24 & @eNCA Tsvangirai, who has been in hospital in South Africa battling colon cancer, passed away on Wednesday. We will update you on the developments.
As you are aware that our MDC T President, Dr Morgan Richard Tsvangirai has not been feeling well for some time, it is sad for me to announce that we have lost our icon and fighter for democracy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, the party and the nation at this hour.
— Elias Mudzuri (@EngMudzuri) February 14, 2018
The former Premier, who served in government during the inclusive government from 2009 to 2013, disclosed that he had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016 and has been in and out of the country to receive treatment in South Africa.
Mr Tsvangirai has led the opposition MDC party since its formation in 1999.
The party has however split several times, the first coming in 2005 and the most recent being just after the 2013 electoral defeat to Zanu PF.
However, with Mr Tsvangirai's health deteriorating, the MDC-T has been rocked by divisions as senior officials among them the three party vice presidents; Nelson Chamisa, Elias Mudzuri and Thokozani Khupe are jostling to succeed Mr Tsvangirai.
Tsvangirai had been facing calls to pass on the leadership of MDC-T with the calls growing louder when the party suffered defeat in the 2013 polls. Since then the party has been out-of-sorts and now with his death, the fights are expected to escalate over who will be in charge.
In recent days, both Mudzuri and Nelson Chamisa have claimed to hold the leadership in an acting capacity while Thokozani Khupe remains the only elected vice president and natural successor.
Mr Tsvangirai, who lost his first wife, Susan in an accident in March 2009, is survived by wife, Elizabeth, several children and grand children.
Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.
More details to follow:
Source - eNCA
