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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More from @Wamagaisa

Feb 13
Tw-etiquette

1. A few days ago, I promised a thread on my view of etiquette on Twitter which I shorten to “Tw-etiquette”. There’s nothing objective about this. It’s based on my observations as a Tw-itizen and what I have read. Feel free to add. Maybe it might help someone.
2. Please don’t tweet anything that you wouldn’t say in public. The line between social media and reality is blurred, if it exists at all. As a rule is if you would not utter it in public, don’t tweet it. The notion that the timeline is “private space” is preposterous.
3. Whatever you do, please don’t tweet hateful or discriminatory things. Racist, homophobic or sexist comments will come back to bite you at some point in your life especially when you least suspect it. Employers and recruiters sometimes check your social media footprint.
Read 12 tweets
Feb 12
Zororo

1. It must have a very difficult and anxious morning for mkoma Dougie as he waited for the star rally at Zororo Grounds on Saturday. To appreciate the challenge and the associated anxiety you must know how these events are planned. It’s a huge logistical operation.
2. Star rally day starts early for everyone. There will be a team at the venue preparing the stage, pitching the tents & generally ensuring that everything is in place. There will be a team led by the party organiser mobilising the crowds. Their job is to ensure a good turnout.
3. These teams on the ground will be liaising with the leader’s team at home or at the hotel advising them on progress and when to arrive. The golden rule is that the leader must arrive to a rousing welcome and that can only happen if there’s a large crowd.
Read 13 tweets
Feb 12
1. Earlier I asked people who follow my handle to name handles that they rely on in political matters. I also asked them to name the handles that they thought other people rely on. Thanks to all those who took part. Here are my preliminary observations.
2. First, I must underline that this is not a scientific exercise. Second, the sample is limited to people who follow my handle. Naturally there’s a bias which affects the outcome. Still, I think people who participated gave their free & honest opinions & their views are useful.
3. I asked for 2 lists because what an individual relies on is not necessarily the same as what they think other people rely on. I don’t think this part of the inquiry was understood uniformly & that’s my fault because I should have explained it better.
Read 17 tweets
Jan 31
1. In the natural world, some species survive through parasitic behaviour. Since they have neither roots nor leaves, they find a host from which they draw nutrients. They might even kill the host before moving on to another host. They are the quintessential free-riders.
2. Some non-venomous snakes mimic the colours of their venomous counterparts. This confuses predators. This behaviour is also evident in other fields. In politics, individuals without any political capital may set up outfits that mimic bigger political players.
3. This is a useful context to examine the claims of an outfit calling itself Citizens Convergence for Change which is challenging the Citizens Coalition for Change led by Nelson Chamisa. The clue is in the timing of the so-called Citizens Convergence for Change’s emergence.
Read 13 tweets
Jan 30
1. As we close the first month, a testimony that the simple things that happen in our lives can be the most beautiful. When the month began, I got a random one line DM from a young man who said his mother had told him that she knew me from way back. I was intrigued.
2. That she had referred to me as Tawanda was interesting because very few call me by that name and those who do are people who know me well. But now more people know it through social media. But then she had also mentioned my brothers’ names & they live quiter lives than me.
3. I got curious. That DM was the beginning of a beautiful story of how I got reunited with the woman who had looked after me and my brothers when we were young. Our mum was a teacher and when she went to work, we were left under the care of the then young woman.
Read 6 tweets
Jan 29
1. Please don’t pay attention to the likes of Mashakada and his type. The lot knows the end is nigh. Realising that they face certain defeat, they are hoping to deflate hope in the Yellow Nation & fuel voter apathy in the by-elections. Please use their trolling as motivation.
2. Mashakada says CCC candidates belong to their party as they didn’t “renounce” their membership. He conveniently forgets that his party recalled them from Parliament because they had allegedly “automatically expelled themselves”. He doesn’t say how & when they rejoined them!
3. Mashakada’s claim is a classic case of the English saying: you can’t have your cake and eat it. You can’t say a person ceased to be a member of your party and remove from Parliament while also claiming that he is a member of your party and your candidate for Parliament!
Read 12 tweets

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