via Playboy Tsvangirai bankrupted MDC-T 06 July 2014
MORGAN Tsvangirai – or Gumbura as the rival Renewal Team has taken to calling him – used party funds to pay lobola for his women and bankrupted the MDC-T with his playboy lifestyle, his adversaries claimed Sunday.
The former premier’s excesses cost the opposition party dearly in last year’s elections as there was no money for campaigning against a cash rich Zanu PF.
Addressing party structures at Bulawayo’s Stanley Square, Renewal Team leader, Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, blamed the former prime minister for the MDC-T’s woeful performance in last year’s elections.
Sipepa Nkomo claimed that Tsvangirai used party funds to pay lobola (bride price) for his wife of 21 days, Locardia Karimatsenga.
When the Renewal Team holds its congress, the party should elect a team player as leader not individuals who consider themselves a demi gods.
“That president must be God fearing and not a man of many women and prostitutes,” said Sipepa Nkomo.
“God does not condone prostitution. When you become too proud, God puts you down but when you humble yourself, God raises you.
“When you become leaders, do not borrow money from the party to pay for concubines.
“We were there and we know what we are talking about. He (Tsvangirai) paid lobola for Lorcadia (Karimatsenga) with money from the party.”
Tsvangirai married Karimatsenga in November 2012 but ended the union with a huge cash pay-off before the month was out, claiming the secret service had got involved.
Financing Tsvangirai’s playboy lifestyle bankrupted the MDC-T as it went into last year’s elections without any money while Zanu PF boasted a huge war chest.
Sipepa Nkomo accused Tsvangirai of personalising the party and ignoring advice from his lieutenants. “Members of Parliament were given $700 while councillors were only given $100. The money had been used to pay for concubines,” he said.
The former premier was also said to have become obsessed with power and so arrogant he ignored advice not to participate in the elections.
“We were too proud, we were there before we got there,” said the former cabinet minister.
“When we were at a rally at White City last year, his wife (Elizabeth) Macheka told him not to take people for granted but some woman (MDC-T deputy president Thokozani Khupe) at the same rally said come August 1, I and Morgan Richard Tsvangirai we will be entering State House. Where are they now?”
Douglas Mwonzora, spokesman for the Tsvangirai group dismissed the allegations as utter rubbish.
“That is utter rubbish. To show that they have nothing to do, they spend their time denigrating and debranding Morgan Tsvangirai.
“Instead of concentrating on their party programmes, they waste time making baseless accusations against Tsvangirai,” he said.
Meanwhile, Renewal Team secretary general and former finance minister, Tendai Biti, said the 15 years of Tsvangirai’s leadership of the party had been a waste.
“We are saying “NO” to 15 years wasted in a post liberation movement,” said Biti who described the MDC-T’s Harvest House offices as a headquarters of gossip.
“He (Tsvangirai) has a self-destruct machine that at a time when things are going good, he presses it and everything falls apart. Leaders should know when their time is up,” Biti said.
COMMENTS
This S S Nkomo should be the last person to talk about prostitution when he himself left his wife for his mistress much to the disgrace of his church congregation. If he knows that God does not condone prostitution, where is his legal wife now? Nxa
uriduzvi Sipepa Nkomo. cheap grandstanding. yu wasted my time reading this. yu hv gone off track with the rebels
And only now they say this? Where was the treasurer and Sec Gen when MDC money was being spent on prostitutes?You fools Tsvangirai is not the enemy, Mugabe is!They keep telling us that they oppose politics of personality but spend all their time and energy in personal attacks against Tsvangirai. The more they attack him personally the more convinced people are that they’re agents of Zanu!
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Bye bye SS Nkomo. This is your last term as a legislator.
Indeed it is your last term. Please remind me, was SS Nkomo not part of the entourage that joined Ncube and later came back? Is SS Nkomo clean on his marital affairs?
They should tell us how they will remove Mugabe, Tsvangirai tried and continue to try.Tell us your strategies Sipepa you are an oldman be honest to yourself
What I cannot understand is why is this information getting released now? When these guys decided to carry out a coup there was no mention about this story. They gave other reasons. I still think MDC T at this time and point is the better option. My only problem with MDC T is that the need to reinvent themselves. They need to take out the T in the name and replace it with maybe a Z. When the T was put it was supposed to be to differentiate between the two splits for election purposes. Now some people will say it shows who the party belongs to. I would get rid of it because there is no one in Zimbabwe that does not know who leads that side of the MDC. It also would be a big strategic move which would clarify what that party should stand for, that Zimbabwe is more important than any individual.
MDCT is a better option for you Dr do little; not some of us democrats. We will never heroworship anyone, no matter how popular they are at grass roots level. It goes into their heads!!
kkkkkkkkk,haaaaaaaa mhaniiiii SSM…………
So it appears the whole MDC leadership failed us, Bennett and all.
You are right ‘ Doctor do little’. Rebrand at the forthcoming congress. MDCZ ndizvo. Forward with our project to remove the clueless zpf from national power. Leave the Mbwiti & his team only fighting to remove MT from nothing. May be only from buhera.
The true is out now. We always wondered where this Tswangirayi was getting all these thousands of USD to pay for his concubines – now we know. He even holidayed in Mauritius and yet the man is not known to be running any business.
At his age, Tswangirayi should know by now that women are dangerous. Even the greatest man was brought down by a woman. Solomon was wise ….but…..he was brought down….. by a woman. Samson was strong….but he …was brought down…by a woman. You gotta be a conscious man…..when you fall in love! You gotta be….a..conscious man..,.when you fall in love!!
Tswangirayi should be destroyed. We are with you Siphepha. Gukurahundi Mugabe’s dictatorship has been enough; we cant allow another with our eyes wide open!
These are just signs of sour grapes.If you are on a project do not worry about sister projects.How much money was payment of lobola to bankrupt MDC. Speak sense Mr Parliamentarian.Stop washing dirty linen in public.How much have you spent personally during your tenure of office that went unaccounted.MDC remains the most populous party at the moment not MDC Renewal.
Straight Shooter “MDCT is a better option for you Dr do little; not some of us democrats.” What makes you think others that have a different opinion to you are not Democrats? I always say and speak for myself on this forum, Who are the we you talk about? This is a debate and as such we will always be People Of Various Opinions. When that stops then we become robots following what ever we are told to and doing what ever we are instructed to.A democrat is defined as being a person who believes in the political or social equality of all people. I think I fit the bill. Democracy on the other hand is defined as a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.When that happens then we can speak about who’s a democrat and if we in a democratic state. That does not stop me from exercising my democratic right to show my preference albeit its lackings which in my opinion are lesser than others. IN MY OPINION.
Nelson Mandela said…A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. You don’t have that idea when you are arrogant, superficial, and uninformed.
Doctor do little
The following render both Tswangirayi and his party MDC-T undemocratic:
1. Refusing to accept the democratic outcome of a National Council elections on whether or not to participate in the Senate elections; which eventually precipitated the original MDC split;
2. The “Mandevere awandisa….” mantras from the predominantly Shona leadership of the then original MDC – on the number of Ndebele speaking people in senior positions in the party then;
3. Unilaterally changing the party’s constitution to allow for Tswangirayi’s stay at the helm unlected;
4. The near death experience of Trudy Stevenson at the hands of MDC-T violent hooligans – for chosing to side with the MDC and Welshman Ncube. In other words, she was nearly killed for holding different views;
5. The beating up of Mangoma for writing a letter to Tswangirayi, questioning his leadership;
6. The unexplained funds spent by Tswangirayi on junkets with women in South Africa and Mauritius – funds most likely to be party funds;
7. The existence of a Kitchen cabinet Tswangirayi has refused to dismantle;
8. Unilateral decision-making by Tswangirayi instead of collective decision-making, which is the halmark of the original MDC that should differentiate it from gukurahundi ZANU PF;
9. The general anti-Mthwakazi tribalistic sentiments by most MDC-T supporters when it comes to issues pertinent to Matebeleland such as the non-Ndebele teachers; the taking over of unskilled jobs by Shonas in Matland; refusing to learn local languages by most Shonas in Matebeleland and so on and so forth;
10. Tswangirayi and his ilk’s copying of everything ZANU PF; especially his addressing our Mthwakazi people in Shona, knowing very well Matebeleland is not Mashonaland and democracy dictates that people be spoken to in the languages of their area/region – no foreign impositions;
11. The tendency and culture of sacrificing principles for the sake of the “Mugabe must go” mantra; ignoring the little Mugabe tendencies in Tswangirayi himself;
12. The culture of hero-worshipping a leader. That because a leader has made personal sacrifices, then he must be rewarded, come wahat may; and
13. ZANU PF culture, thinking and mentalities that dominate the MDC-T ways doing politics.
Now, being party to such a political formation renders you automatically unfit to be called a democrat!
Enkosi!
Ndiyabulela – ndikuxelele!!
STRAIGHT SHOOTER you can froth at the mouth and say what ever you want you are neither the judge or the jury on who is a democrat and who isn’t. Like me you are just a man that expresses his own opinions on this forum. On some we agree. On some we do not. Those that you favour to renewal were not so long ago singing praises of the MDC T. I do not sing any praises. I vote for the best possible option that my opinion permits,that exist prior to any election. Your hatred for Tswangirayi seems to exceed your hatred for Mugabe. But those that were helping him form MDC policies are now your Golden boys. Not so mine. When a better option comes by I will consider what they have to offer and act accordingly. I will never ever hold a card of any Political party neither will I say I AM SUCH AND SUCH FOR LIFE. That is my opinion. Notice I have not judged you….
Straight Shooter is JUST ANOTHER SUCKER.
Doctor do little
Dispute the points 1-13 above and stop bringing in irrelevant issues here.
You like to conveniently forget Tswangirayi’s leadership shortcomings and his poor decision m,aking qualities so as to justifying your continued hanging onto his aprons.
I am not like that – I speak facts and nothing but facts all the time. Go ahead, dispute those points and lets hear you!
I stand by what I say. When a better option comes by I will consider what they have to offer and act accordingly. Your points are only your opinion although I still think you are a blunt speaking character that has no respect for those that don’t hold your opinions. I do not hang on to anyone’s aprons and I don’t intend to get involved in an insulting match so on this instance and others I will say keep your opinions and I will keep mine. As I said you are just another man like me that comments on this forum.
Doctor do little
Why do you like generalised comments? Is that your escape tactics once you are cornered? I am saying go on and dispute point by point, the points I raised in numbers 1-13; you are still evading the issue why?
Remember, I am not saying dont support your beloved Tswangirayi. All I am saying is that personally, I dont and can not support him for the reasons I have already stated.
I can not support someone “for lack of a better option”; that is myopic in my view. As far as I am concerned, both Mugabe and Tswangirayi are rubbish – its not a case of either or.
The only reason why focus is mostly on Tswangirayi is because a lot was expected of him given his claims to democracy; human rights; freedom etc, etc. Robert Mugabe never pretends to be a democrat, as such all that he does is just typical of his gukurahundi nature – no surprises here.
I have been around and I know Zim politics very well. It was all well and good when we had better leadership in the 1960s and 1970s – until, tribal politics took over in the late 1979s and 1980s. You can not tell me I could expect anything better from someone like Tswangirayi; a man who carbon copies everything characteristic of his opponent. Once bitten twice shy.
Yes I definitely would want to see gukurahundi Mugabe gone like yesterday; but I can not allow desperation to overcome my reasoning to such an extent that anyone who shouts “Mugabe must go” and has so-called grassroots support is a better option. Hell no; some of us in Mthwakazi – we have suffered enough; we have been betrayed so very often. This time around – ASIJIKI!!!
Maybe just maybe Zanu/Mdc( all factions) and other smaller parties should get together and form a broad coalition so that no one person or party has absolute power ever again….because I can honestly say whereas politicians are elected to serve the people, politicians in Zim are nothing but greedy and full of bloated egos…just look at the whining about exit packages and new benz etc…..oh and lest we forget stolen constituency funds to the value of us50 000$ which were meant for constituencies and never got there from both Zanu and Mdc MPs……we should vote in a legislator based on his credentials and what he will do for us the people of Zim, rather than which party he belongs to….stop bickering about mdc and look at the real monsters who have brought this whole country to its knees!