Tsvangirai wanted passport for prophetic healing

The much-publicised fight over late MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai's passport had to do with a trip to Germany where members of the politician's family had booked an appointment with a prophet in a desperate attempt to save his life, The Herald reported.

Mr Tsvangirai's family tried to get the politician discharged from a South African hospital where he was being treated for colon cancer and fly to Germany to seek the services of an unnamed prophet.

Mr Tsvangirai died last week Wednesday while the family was processing his visa to see a faith healer as they desperately made efforts to save his life.

This was revealed by Mr Tsvangirai's eldest son, Edwin, in an interview soon after his father's burial at Humanikwa Village in Buhera.

"We wanted to travel to Germany to seek spiritual guidance from a prophet in that Western country.

"I am the one who was running around to get visas to enable us to travel," said Edwin.

The Herald had asked him to elaborate on an audio that circulated on social media in which Mr Tsvangirai appeared to be arguing with relatives on his bedside over his passport. The politician is heard demanding his travel documents.

In the audio, Mr Tsvangirai was demanding his passport, but his brother Collin and uncle - Mr Innocent Zvaipa - were refusing to give him saying he did not need to keep travel documents while in hospital. According to the audio, an argument ensued as Mr Tsvangirai warned Collin that withholding his passport was a criminal offence.

Collin responded saying he would not accede to the request even if he knew it was a criminal offence to withhold someone's passport. Edwin strangely claimed he was not aware of the existence of the audio nor was he aware of the argument between his father and relatives over the passport.

"I am not aware of that audio. I have not heard about it and I would not want to comment on that," said Edwin.

However, Collin told South Africa-based Zimbabwen businessman Mutumwa Mawere during a Facebook live-stream that the passport had been taken by Edwin for a visa application. Collin did not, however, give further details about the visa during the interview.

Asked if squabbling in the MDC-T over who should be acting president did not worsen Mr Tsvangirai's condition, Edwin said they had limited people to see his father and avoided discussing such issues with him.

"I do not think so because we were restricting access to him, we would also avoid discussing those issues with him," said Edwin.

Addressing mourners during the burial, Mr Zvaipa said he was among family members who had travelled to Johannesburg to see Mr Tsvangirai.

"I was one of the last persons to see Mr Tsvangirai in South Africa on his bedside," said Zvaipa.

He said Mr Tsvangirai had confided in him about his views over the succession in the MDC-T, but declined to say exactly what he had been told.