Change in Zimbabwe is imminent - Tsvangirai

MUTARE - An increasingly religious Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday made a passionate plea to Zimbabweans to be "God-fearing" - adding that change in the country was imminent.


Speaking at a peace rally in Mutare, Tsvangirai also just fell short of saying that he had been chosen by God to rule Zimbabwe.

Quoting the Bible extensively, the MDC leader exhorted Zimbabweans to stand for what was right and be ready for change because it was within God's plan to bring leadership change in the country.

Tsvangirai, who has previously visited Nigeria where he met famed pastor and prophet, Temitope Balogun Joshua - popularly known as TB Joshua - has been on a national crusade to promote peace in the country.

He reminded attendants at yesterday's rally of the difficult times the Israelites had experienced during their stay in Egypt.

"Violence in your home and violence in the country is not what God has said and by the way God defines our destiny as individuals and also defines the destiny of a country because we are God's children.

"Whatever we do, let's not want to be given all the credit as it's in God's plans. Let's be God-fearing people," he said.

"There is a time when we seem to get tired. We must never tire to fight for democracy, peace in our communities and the country at large. We must never tire to fight for the democratic right of Zimbabweans until every Zimbabwean is free," said Tsvangirai.

The MDC leader is a victim of state-sponsored violence and was left for dead by suspected security agents during a peace march in the Harare township of Highfield, on March 11, 2007.

Dubbed the Save Zimbabwe Campaign, that prayer meeting was organised by pro-democracy groups, who included churches, in a bid to try and reach violent youths in the suburbs.

Tsvangirai and senior civil society organisation leaders such as Lovemore Madhuku, as well as MDC officials â€" among them Tendai Biti, Sekai Holland and Arthur Mutambara â€" were brutally assaulted by armed riot police.

A cobbler â€" Gift Tandare â€" was shot in cold blood by police during the attacks on the peaceful marchers.

Yesterday, Tsvangirai reminded youths of the dangers of being used to foment violence by politicians.

"You have to take a risk in saying no to being used to commit violence. You have to take a risk on what is right and when you are forced (to do) something that is unlawful you must say no in the spirit of promoting peace. Each person stands on his own before God when the time comes," Tsvangirai said.

The PM visited TB Joshua in 2010 â€" whose prophecies concerning major events, including leadership changes, have often been uncunningly accurate.

Tsvangirai said his visit was private at the time.

Privately, his aides say the PM continues to be strengthened by TB Joshua's teachings and prophecies, whose Synagogue Church of All Nations (Scoan) last week flighted a notice to acquire land â€" fuelling speculation that he could be planning to build a church in Ruwa.

The gifted spiritual leader has been quoted as foreseeing the death of a long-serving African leader, although he said the tragic event was reversible through prayer.

"I'm seeing a head of state, by that I mean a president. He is not feeling well. He is very old. What is this I'm seeing… sudden death. I am seeing the death of an old African president in two months," Joshua said recently.

Zanu-PF secretary for administration for Manicaland province Kenneth Saruchera who represented his party at yesterday's peace rally, following President Robert Mugabe's failure to attend the gathering, paid tribute to the organisers of the event.

However, Saruchera bizarrely blamed targeted sanctions against some Zanu-PF officials as being behind violence in Zimbabwe.

Saruchera said peace could only prevail if the sanctions were removed and people were in employment.
"For peace to be attainable we need to have the removal of the illegal sanctions," he said.