Tsvangirai blackmail claims on Loreta should be investigated

I REMEMBER laughing myself sore when the then Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard referred to Tsvangirai as a man as great as Mandela.

Needless to say, Tsvangirai is no Mandela.Would this Tsvangirai-Mandela be an acceptable presidential candidate in Australia or the United States? Would his countless scandals be overlooked as we are so often urged to do? It is doubtful and this duplicity on the part of Western nations raises serious questions about their self-proclaimed concern for the welfare of Zimbabweans.

If Tsvangirai is a buffoon why have they actively supported his bid to be president knowing full well he does not have the capacity?

Yesterday we read in The Sunday Mail troubling reports that Tsvangirai has been blackmailing the 25-year-old mother of his child Loretta Nyathi, threatening to destroy her using his media contacts if she ever showed her face publicly.

But why does Tsvangirai not want people to see Loreta Nyathi? Because he knows that she is nothing more than a child and he would suffer considerable political damage for having taken advantage of her.

These are very serious claims that must be investigated. In addition, the media must ask itself some very difficult ethical questions. The reporting on this young woman has been degrading and cruel.

She is the victim not the aggressor as some have tried to suggest. When a man in his late fifties lies to a 21-year-old and promises her a glittering future can we as society stand and condemn that young woman for believing Tsvangirai's lies? It cannot be the case that because we support Tsvangirai we are ready to defend everything he does.

Still on the reports of Loreta Nyathi, it has also emerged that Tsvangirai is still refusing to take a birth certificate for his son.

What kind of man is this? Does he not have a heart or even an ounce of decency? Would the British public accept a Prime Minister who impregnated young girls and then gave them the run-around, refusing to honour his obligations?

Would Mandela impregnate a 21-year-old young woman leaving her high and dry? Who are these Westerners kidding?

If Tsvangirai is not leadership material in Australia, why do they believe he is leadership material in Zimbabwe?

Allegations that Tsvangirai is failing to pay maintenance because he is broke speak to his misplaced priorities. He moves around in a top-of-the-range Mercedes-Benz which could easily support his child for the next four years. If he was a responsible man he would sell that car and take care of his children. We know that Tsvangirai was booking US$4 000 hotel suites for Elizabeth in the United States. Where is that money today?  We also read shocking reports last week that Tsvangirai does not have basic medical aid and had to be bailed out by his kitchen cabinet after a local medical facility filed a police report after Tsvangirai fled before settling his medical bill.

How does this man believe he can manage a nation if he cannot manage his own affairs?

Many of Tsvangirai's former comrades have now turned against him explaining that they have lost confidence in the man they worked with for nearly 15 years.

Welshman Ncube left the movement nearly 10 years ago after observing the same things that the MDC-Renewal Team is citing today.

Can we be objective and weigh Tsvangirai on the scales of human decency and give him a clean bill of health? Certainly not. The man is an immoral scoundrel and it is a surprise he has been taken seriously for all these years.

If the MDC-T wants to survive it needs to face up to reality and persuade Tsvangirai to step aside.

There was a time when the MDC had a firm grip on hearts of urbanites and online forums where no-go areas for Zanu-PF supporters. That is no longer the case and the Internet is now awash with anti-Tsvangirai sentiment because he has squandered whatever goodwill he enjoyed. The MDC-T should not take people for granted. Urban displeasure with Zanu-PF does not mean that urbanites will vote for a reckless buffoon.

Ndatenda, ndini muchembere wenyu Amai Jukwa