Tsvangirai's marriage to Macheka's daughter, the dynamics

There are mixed feelings to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's recent engagement to Elizabeth Macheka, 35-year-old daughter to Zanu-PF loyalist and former Chitungwiza mayor, Joseph Macheka.

While this should pass as an ordinary union by two mature citizens, there are some people within his Movement for Democratic Change party and Zanu-PF who are not so comfortable with it for different reasons.

One does not need to enunciate the amount of rivalry and mistrust that exists between the two parties. It is there for everyone to see.

Others are concerned about the union because in the past Joseph Macheka was involved in political violence cases against MDC supporters. Macheka, a Zanu-PF Central Committee member, was accused of shooting dead a protester and wounding two others during the 1998 food riots and was not held to account for that.

Tsvangirai's critics view this as a selling out and a compromise of his political ambitions by marrying the daughter of a fierce political rival.

Sympathisers say Tsvangirai simply lived up to the saying, "love is blind".

Tsvangirai is not the first MDC politician to be associated with a spouse connected to Zanu-PF. Speaker of Parliament, Lovemore Moyo, is married to the daughter of small and medium enterprises minister Sithembiso Nyoni, a Zanu-PF loyalist.

His sympathisers said by engaging Elizabeth, Tsvangirai had shown he was a national leader who did not want to confine himself to associating with members of his party only so the hullabaloo about his marriage was much ado about nothing. After all there were many black Zimbabweans who married whites during the height of the country's struggle for independence and were not perceived as sell outs.

Critics are not convinced Elizabeth will not spy for her father and his party.

One critic cited the Biblical example of Samson who confided in his wife Delilah as to the source of his might. They feel the MDC-T leader has sold his soul for a woman. To them, Tsvangirai is leader of a political party and what he does has far reaching implications.

Critics view Tsvangirai as the repository of MDC-T secrets. The strategic conscience of MDC lies with him and sharing a bed with someone with Zanu-PF links was the biggest betrayal.

They said Tsvangirai had a whole entourage of political ideology around him. He did not need to defect to Zanu-PF totally to complete the "crime" of selling out.  It was just the association itself which was toxic. They find it difficult to see how Tsvangirai would manage the politics of reconciliation given that Joseph Macheka needs to answer for his past transgressions.

How will Tsvangirai protect the strategic direction of a political party that he so painstakingly founded and sacrificed for in the past decade if he decides to share sentimental moments with the daughter of someone who is "vicariously responsible" for tormenting his party?

Many of his supporters, especially those who have fallen victim to Zanu-PF violence, would feel betrayed by a man who has fronted their struggle to remove Mugabe's dictatorial rule.

Those opposed to his union with Elizabeth feel their leader has shown limited understanding of the importance of the big brand political marketing.

Tsvangirai's decision to marry the enemy's daughter had also put to ridicule, his argument that his controversial "marriage" to Lorcadia Tembo was a CIO scheme aimed at denting his image.

The question would be: "How else has he landed in the hands of another Zanu-PF linked personality. Does this mean he has a strong obsession for "Zanu PF ladies?"

Another question that remains unanswered is: "Will Zanu-PF starts viewing Macheka differently given that he would be privy to top party secrets discussed during central committee meetings?