Your time is up Tsvangirai

Herald 18/12/2008

EDITOR — I have a very pertinent issue to raise with the people of Zimbabwe.

Where is MDC-T leader Morgan Tsva-ngirai and what is he doing?

Ever since Zanu-PF, MDC-T and MDC agreed on Constitutional Amendment Number 19 Bill, the opposition leader has been nowhere to be seen except on BBC, CNN, France 24 and other such tools of Western imperialism.

There has been a serious cholera outbreak and the man who claims to have so much love for Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans has been gallivanting all over Europe doing God knows what.

I will be honest and say that I am a staunch Zanu-PF supporter and have been for my whole life, even though I am just 22-years-old.

I have never been convinced that Tsvangirai has anything tangible to offer to this country and I have never made it a secret.

Tsvangirai has risen in national politics on the back of our suffering and I, for one, can never support such a person.

That is why I was deeply troubled when President Mugabe decided to get into an agreement with him to form an inclusive Government that would also include Professor Arthur Mutambara.

But being a loyal supporter and firm backer of Cde Mugabe, I chose to support him because he is the leader I voted for and, as such, I, by extension, gave him the right to make such decisions on my behalf and for everyone who elected him.

However, I am increasingly wondering if Cde Mugabe is not wasting time by playing along with these characters.

MDC-T is clearly stringing us along and does not care about how the people of Zimbabwe are living.

Tsvangirai appears as if he would like the suffering to grow and for cholera to spread so that he can again benefit from the poor lives people are leading.

Right now, he is in Botswana and his party has been saying that they will not support Constitutional Amendment Number 19 Bill.

This is weird because MDC-T negotiators Elton Mangoma and Tendai Biti agreed to the Bill in South Africa. Why then are they playing games with the issue?

It is, thus, evident that MDC-T does not care about anyone and wants to get into power at all costs.

This is something that is totally unacceptable and I urge Cde Mugabe to go ahead and form a Cabinet if these people do not want to see sense and come on board in the nation-building agenda.

If in the future the leadership of the opposition decides to be patriotic, then they can be accommodated as per the arrangement in the agreement that was signed. We need a fully functional Government right now that can deal with things like cholera which should not even be national emergencies.

Let those who care about the people of Zimbabwe form a Government.

Time Up.

University of Zimbabwe,

Harare.