Tsvangirai lied about donors

Tsvangirai lied about donors - Leon

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By Angela Quintal

MORGAN Tsvangirai, the former trade unionist now poised to become Zimbabwe's prime minister if a power-sharing deal succeeds, apparently lied about soliciting and receiving funds from key donors of South Africa's Democratic Alliance opposition party.

This is according to former DA leader Tony Leon in his newly published autobiography On the Contrary.

Leon, who frequently clashed with President Thabo Mbeki over his administration's "quiet diplomacy" towards Zimbabwe, writes about a visit to that country in early 2000 to "meet Tsvangirai and other opposition leaders".

It took place soon after President Robert Mugabe's proposed changes to the constitution were rejected by Zimbabweans in their February referendum.

Leon described the mood at the time in that country as one of "cautious exuberance".

"Tsvangirai struck me as engaged, courageous and level-headed.

"While expressing in private the need for opposition co-operation across the Limpopo, he later publicly changed his tune and started singing in the anti-DA/DP caucus - doubtless encouraged by the ANC," writes Leon.

However, what truly "galled" Leon was the fact that Tsvangirai solicited and received funding from the DA's key donors in Joburg, "whom he visited while claiming he had never done so".

"I thought such public disclaimers of known private realities revealed a troubling inconsistency. It confirmed that while courage is a non-negotiable of leadership, particularly of any opposition force in Africa, it must be coupled to strategic coherence," Leon writes.

In April 2000, after the violent invasion of farms and intimidation that followed Mugabe's referendum defeat, Leon wrote to the Zimbabwean head of state.

He reminded Mugabe that the Southern African Development Community Treaty committed member states to uphold the principles of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Leon writes that he received no direct response.

However, Mugabe's Zanu-PF later that year, in a full-page newspaper colour advertisement, portrayed Tsvangirai as a puppet, his strings pulled by various masters, including "Tony Leon". - Star
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