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Mr Tsvangirai

MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s trip to the United Kingdom which ended yesterday can best be described as a grand exercise in self immolation as it allowed his erstwhile Western interlocutors an opportunity to see for themselves the depths to which their former protégé has plunged.

With swirling discontent both at home and abroad within his beleaguered movement, Tsvangirai cut a pathetic and lonely figure as he moved from one venue to another in a zombie-like fashion addressing small unappreciative crowds.

Reports from the UK said the MDC-T leader was unimpressive in both his addresses at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, commonly known as Chatham House on Friday and at a so-called star rally in Birmingham the following day which was attended by about 80 people. His message to the British policy think-tank crowd at Chatham House was so hollow he appeared not to believe the speech he was reading.

As he painfully sought to justify his humiliating defeat to President Mugabe in last year’s elections, Tsvangirai claimed that the challenges facing Zimbabwe were a result of a disputed election. Without proffering a shred of evidence, he sought to cast doubt on the validity of the July 31 poll which saw his party lose heavily to Zanu-PF.

He deliberately omitted to mention that the elections were described as free and fair by the various bodies which observed and monitored them including the African Union and Sadc. Tsvangirai also downplayed the split in his party which saw secretary general Tendai Biti and deputy treasurer general Elton Mangoma part ways with him to form the Renewal Team, saying “we may bicker and some may choose to go their separate ways but that is the nature of democracy, to which we are fully subscribed members”.

He also did not call for the total removal of debilitating sanctions which are wreaking havoc on the economy. Tsvangirai said, “We also notice that sanctions have to all intents and purposes been removed except the travel bans on Mugabe and his wife”.

However, while the EU has removed travel bans on most senior government officials, the United States has tightened its embargo on Zimbabwe to strangulate the country’s diamond industry. The rest of the MDC-T leader’s address was a rehash of old and tired allegations of the absence of the rule of law and the “levelling of the playing field” in future elections.

In Birmingham, Tsvangirai addressed a small crowd and sought to assuage them by claiming that he would never concede defeat to Zanu-PF. A group in the UK backing the leadership renewal effort had earlier scheduled protests against Tsvangirai during his trip and there were plans to try and embarrass the MDC leader by pelting him with eggs at the Birmingham rally.

The group insisted that MDC supporters in the UK wanted and deserved answers from Tsvangirai over several issues including the alleged misappropriation of funds they donated to the party over the years. “Members of the Zimbabwean community especially those who are MDC members have genuine questions that need answers from Tsvangirai,” said a spokesperson in a statement Wednesday. “The members in the UK still remember the misappropriated funds, the corrupt handling of elections which led to the fielding of a controversial team in the 2013 national elections.

“The violence following the advice from other leaders on the party to renew can never be allowed to continue. These are some of the issues members need to send a clear message to Morgan Tsvangirai.” The MDC-T leader’s trip to the UK appears to have been an attempt to reassure Western allies that he remains the leading opposition voice in Zimbabwe. But the scandals in his private life and alleged dictatorial tendencies that spawned the latest split with members of the Renewal Team might have permanently dented his standing among even the staunchest of his backers.

Tellingly, the British government appears to have given the MDC leader a huge berth by avoiding high profile meetings with him.

Tsvangirai was only given a 35-minute audience with British junior Minister for Africa Mark Simmonds on Tuesday. His trip must have been a wake up call to him and his lieutenants that it’s no longer business as usual. The world has moved on and is ready to welcome Zimbabwe back into the community of nations and they have to come to terms with that reality.