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NewsDay

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Tsvangirai never married

Politics
In a new twist to events regarding Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s “marriage” to prominent businesswoman Locadia Karimatsenga Tembo, NewsDay has since established that no marriage took place and that the episode could have been a political sting operation. It emerged yesterday the Premier sent a delegation led by his relative Innocent Zvaipa on Monday to […]

In a new twist to events regarding Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s “marriage” to prominent businesswoman Locadia Karimatsenga Tembo, NewsDay has since established that no marriage took place and that the episode could have been a political sting operation.

It emerged yesterday the Premier sent a delegation led by his relative Innocent Zvaipa on Monday to pay damages for impregnating the commodity broker.

Highly-placed sources confided in NewsDay saying Tsvangirai paid $10 000 in damages and not the $36 000 bride price claimed by Tembo’s relatives and neither were any groceries involved in the transaction.

The impeccable sources said Tsvangirai did not hand over any head of cattle to the Tembo family, and neither did he set foot in Christon Bank, where the “ceremony” took place.

In fact, the sources said on the day in question, Tsvangirai was at his Charter House offices, then he went to meet President Robert Mugabe for the usual Monday meetings at 3pm before leaving for his party’s headquarters, Harvest House, where he met representatives of MDC-T structures up to about 6pm after which he retired to his residence.

Said the sources: “The Tembo family wants to turn damages into a marriage. The team that went to pay the $10 000 pregnancy damages had no brief for marriage.

The Prime Minister sent them to pay damages because he felt it was his responsibility as an African to pay for his unusual conduct.

Locadia claims she is pregnant and the Prime Minister, as a responsible African, did not want to part with tradition, but to do the right thing and pay damages.”

Presidential spokesperson George Charamba could not be reached for comment to verify Tsvangirai’s Monday meeting with the President.

Various media houses, invited over the telephone by persons at the ceremony to witness the “marriage”, fell for the prank and the alleged union was splashed in newspapers countrywide as well as on social media platforms.

But the sources told NewsDay that this was part of a sting operation to force Tsvangirai into a compromised union.

Tembo is related to Zanu PF Goromonzi legislator Biata Beatrice Nyamupinga who yesterday made a volte-face saying: “I do not know anything.

Speak to Tsvangirai. But what I can tell you for a fact is that his phone is currently off and I know where it is. This is a matter between two people and Tsvangirai should comment.”

She then referred NewsDay to a person she claimed was the Tembo family spokesperson.

“Call me back after five minutes and speak to the family spokesman,” she said.

But five minutes later she said: “Let’s wait for the PM to issue a statement. If he says he paid damages, so be it, but let’s wait for him to issue a statement.”

On Monday, Nyamupinga, who is said in political circles to be close to MDC-T’s Women’s League boss Theresa Makone, was quoted at the function saying everything had gone well and all that was left were wedding bells.

Yesterday, Luke Tamborinyoka, the Premier’s spokesperson, maintained Tsvangirai did not tie the knot – traditionally or otherwise.

“I have said that if the Prime Minister decides to marry, the nation will be told,” he said. “Right now, the only marriage he is grappling with is this marriage called the inclusive government.

It’s unfortunate that some of the comments that have been made about this issue border on malice, mischief and ill-motive.”

A tonne of bricks had already started falling on Tsvangirai’s head with traditional leaders branding the so-called marriage ceremony a taboo because it took place in November, a sacred month in Zimbabwean tradition.