1. Morgan Tsvangirai rose to be Prime Minister of Zimbabwe in a power-sharing government with his bitter rival Robert Mugabe. The role took him to high places but my abiding memory of him is of an unpretentious man who was most comfortable among ordinary people.
2. One day when we had a townhall meeting in Bindura, Morgan decided that he would pay a surprise visit to his old mates in the neighbourhood. He directed his motorcade to the home of his friend Mr Mangadze. I never saw him so happy apart from when he visited his village.
3. He was animated like a young lad who was meeting his old mates after a long time. Morgan had lived in Bindura for some time when he was working at the mines. These were his real friends, men who knew him well. Mr Mangadze in blue & Mr Chikumbu in the checked shirt.
4. They had many questions for him and here he was showing Mangadze and his wife some pictures in his smartphone. This is the life that Morgan had lived and I suspected he was quite nostalgic. After all no one had huge expectations on his friends’ shoulders. They were free!
5. This is one of my favourite photos of Morgan with the Mangadze kids. They must all be grown up now - this was in 2013. He was so comfortable with them and they were relaxed. The young lad was quite excited and couldn’t believe the PM was at their home!
6. We travelled a lot when I worked with Morgan and I used to take pictures when I could. Here he was talking to President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania. They had developed a cordial and brotherly relationship and I could see that he was comfortable in his company.
7. Here, we had hopped across the Limpopo to see President Zuma as part of the diplomatic offensive. It wasn’t easy getting this meeting because it was a Sunday. The story of how we eventually got in is for another day. Suffice to say there are some smooth operators out there!
8. Here he was with former President of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings. We were at the World Economic Forum in Davos. President Rawlings praised Morgan for his courage but he also had a special message: please send my regards to Cde Mugabe!
9. This was at the World Economic Forum Africa event in Cape Town. Morgan had a soft spot for Mthuli and thought he was a candidate to head the central bank if he got into power. Mthuli eventually returned home but in different circumstances. The rest is history.
10. Here Morgan was making a point to former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. Kofi as usual listened calmly and gave him encouraging words to continue fighting for human rights and democracy.
11. This was at the Africa Cup Nations Final in South Africa. Dr Nkosazana Dhlamini-Zuma was boss at the African Union. I learnt a key lesson here: football diplomacy. I got a better appreciation of why leaders attend these events even when they seem like a waste of time & money
12. One of rare pictures together. We were at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Such foreign trips when you are far from home and the usual political crowd are invaluable moments where you get to know each other better, including your vulnerabilities.
13. I’m sure journalists have more pictures of us together but this is one I found recently. We had just arrived at a polling station where Morgan and his wife Elizabeth were going to cast their votes. I’m on one side. I’m sure you all know the chap on the other side!
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