SENIOR officials in the Welshman Ncube-led MDC have launched an astonishing attack on Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai over his alleged philandering ways.

Moses Mzila Ndlovu, the party’s deputy secretary general, accused Tsvangirai of “abusing rights” of women following recent claims by a Bulawayo woman that she had the widower’s baby. Loreta Nyathi also claimed the Prime Minister’s aides pushed her to abort a six-month pregnancy.

“We expected women’s rights groups such as WOZA (Women of Zimbabwe Arise) to be outraged by the issue of abuse of rights by the Prime Minister, but their silence means they are simply in support of what is being done by Tsvangirai,” Mzila Ndlovu said at an MDC rally at Stanley Square in Bulawayo last Saturday.

Mushoriwa claimed if the three main party leaders were to agree to a televised debate, Ncube would lay his vision for a prosperous Zimbabwe, President Mugabe reflect on his historical contribution to the country and Tsvangirai “will tell you that ‘I have impregnated this one and that one’ and nothing more”.

“That is part of his achievement in government and that position (Prime Minister) has helped him in achieving that,” claimed Mushoriwa.

The party’s national chairman Goodrich Chimbaira also missed no opportunity, saying Tsvangirai’s reported liaisons with a string of women was a reversal of the campaign against the spread of HIV.

“His love escapades are now too much. He is not even ashamed,” claimed Chimbaira. “He is so shallow as to think that he cannot get Aids because he is Prime Minister. He does not even know that he can also contract the dreaded disease.”

Tsvangirai’s spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka has refused to deal directly with speculation about the Prime Minister’s private life. He regularly deflects media attention by insisting Tsvangirai is more focused on government work than “folk tales ”.

Tsvangirai had been linked with a string of women since his wife's death in a car accident in March 2009. His aides have advised him to settle down with one woman.