After poll loss, Tsvangirai loses his wife

Former Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has been left by his wife over undisclosed personal reasons — just over a year after he married her under controversial circumstances.

Mr Tsvangirai, who lost another presidential election against President Robert Mugabe last July, married Elizabeth Macheka in September 2012.

The couple were forced to do a traditional marriage ceremony after the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader was sued by one of his lovers, Ms Lorcadia Karimatsenga, who proved that they were customarily married.

Ms Macheka on Saturday disclosed that they were now separated due to a number of problems besetting their marriage.

She revealed that a visit to controversial Nigerian televangelist TB Joshua by her husband last October was one of the things that triggered the breakdown of the marriage as she was against the prophet’s teachings as a Catholic.

The separation also followed publication of alleged communication between Mrs Macheka and her former boyfriend last year by state-owned media that purportedly showed that she was cheating on her husband.

However, Mrs Macheka in an interview with a government-controlled newspaper vehemently denied claims that she was to blame for the collapse of the marriage.

“Let it be known that it is every woman’s dream to be happily married in poverty and even in the midst of plenty,” she said.

“He (Mr Tsvangirai) knows the genesis of the problem, what steps he has been trying in vain to address the situation, including visits to TB Joshua and others.

“The paralysis between us has nothing to do with the outcome of the July 31 elections, MDC, any other political entity, foreign hand or material worth.

“The matter is both personal and circumstantial and only him and not even relatives, friends or party comrades can solve.”

ZANU-PF SPY

Ms Macheka is a daughter of a leading member of ruling-party Zanu-PF, and there were claims that she was a spy for President Mugabe’s party.

But she insisted that the problems emanated from an undisclosed problem that Mr Tsvangirai was failing to deal with.

“A lot has been said and written about how I am to blame in the current situation between myself and Mr Tsvangirai,” Mrs Macheka said.

“It is not my intention to discuss private family issues in public or awaken sleeping dogs.”

She also took a dig at her husband, saying he must not cry victim but work to solve their differences.

“Crying the victim or casting aspersions on anyone, including myself, is not only a self-serving sympathy seeking gimmick but intellectually, factually and morally dishonest stance to take as close friends from both sides of the families and relatives know,” she said.

“I shall not be driven into a public discussion of my marital life since it is a private matter and private matters are best solved privately.”

Earlier in the week, Mr Tsvangirai had told the same paper that he was trying to reconcile with his wife.

He said the two would “sit down and discuss the matter as adults.”

Mr Tsvangirai’s love life has been in the spotlight for the past four years after he lost his first wife Susan in a car accident.

He was linked to several women and had to apologise at his traditional wedding to Ms Macheka saying he did not mean to hurt anyone as he was searching for genuine love.