Zimbabwe: Morgan Tsvangirai

Updated February 2002

The eldest of nine children, Tsvangirai was born in 1952 in Gutu, Masvingo in the Eastern province. After secondary school, he abandoned his studies to help support his family. He joined a local textile union when, aged 20, he was working at Mutare Clothing. Two years later he joined the Trojan Nickel Mine in Bindura, and, as a ZANU-PF member, he became a political commissar at the mine, a post that he held for ten years.

Tsvangirai rose rapidly to become chairman of the mining union and was later elected into the union's executive. During the 1980s he held several high-ranking positions in many regional labour movements, and, in 1988, he rose to the post of Secretary General of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions ZCTU, an umbrella of trade unions in the Southern Africa region, which had been set up at Zimbabwe's independence[1].

At the led of the labour movement, Tsvangirai broke the alliance between the ZCTU and the ruling ZANU-PF. The relationship with the Government consequently deteriorated, and, in 1989, Tsvangirai was imprisoned on charges of espionage. In December 1997, Tsvangirai called a series of strikes to force the Zimbabwe Government to adopt a more responsible economic policy[2].

Tsvangirai's first attempts at political leadership eventually led to the formation of the Movement for Democratic Change MDC in September 1999. The Movement brought together a powerful mix of supporters from Zimbabwe's trade unions, the church, students, women's groups, human rights organisations and businessmen. Emulating Frederick Chiluba of Zambia, Tsvangirai left the labour movement to lead the newly formed MDC. Capitalising on economic discontent and the ensuing crisis, the party managed to attract a growing national following within months and quickly became a serious challenge to President Mugabe's power hold. In February 2000, the 'No vote' in the Constitutional referendum of 2000 brought the MDC to political triumph. The dramatic defeat on the government over its constitutional reform bill earned Mr. Tsvangirai an aura of credibility and a promising start. In the June 2000 general election the MDC inflicted another stunning blow on the ruling ZANU-PF, gaining 57 of the constituency-based seats. It was a result without precedent in Zimbabwe, considering that ZANU-PF had dominated the Parliament ever since independence. Turning down the opportunity of a seat in one of the cities, where MDC support was strongest, Mr. Tsvangirai failed to be elected[3].

Mr. Tsvangirai who will compete in the next presidential elections due on 9-10 March 2002 is widely seen as representing a young generation of Zimbabweans and urban workers who widely disregard Mr. Mugabe's historical role at the lead of the liberation movement. His leadership can largely capitalise on a young constituency's preoccupation with the government's recent record of economic mismanagement and human rights abuse[4].

Morgan Tsvangirai is married to Susan Nyaradzo and has 7 children.

Footnotes

[1] Leaders profiles: Morgan Tsvangirai MDC President, Movement for Democratic Change.
[2] Leaders profiles: Morgan Tsvangirai MDC President, Movement for Democratic Change.
[3] New party threatens Mugabe, Andrew Meldrum, Guardian, Monday 31 January 2000.
[4] Profile: Morgan Tsvangirai, BBC News, 14 December 2001.