PM’s wedding called off after second ‘fiancée’ steps forward

Published on 15/09/2012 01:11

Zimbabwean prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s messy private affairs came to a dramatic head yesterday after a Harare magistrate cancelled his wedding licence hours before the ceremony – and yet another woman claimed she was engaged to him.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader had been expected to marry fiancée Elizabeth Macheka, 35, in Harare today – until former partner Locadia Tembo filed court papers to block the wedding.

After a nail-biting delay, Harare magistrate Munamato Mutevedzi cancelled the wedding licence that he himself had issued to the Zimbabwean premier, ruling that Mr Tsvangirai’s “traditional” marriage in November to Ms Tembo was indeed an impediment.

Ms Tembo’s sister, Biata Nyamupinga, is an MP in Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party and it has been speculated that the president’s secret service has been pushing this bid to humiliate the popular former trade unionist before elections.

Mr Tsvangirai, 60 and Ms Tembo did not sign any marriage certificate and he announced the end of their “marriage” after just 11 days.

Mr Tsvangirai lost his first wife, Susan, in a car crash in 2009. He has since been linked to at least six women, leading commentators to nickname him “Morgan Moregirls”.

The official Herald newspaper published a photo of him with yet another woman, South African national Nosipho Shilubane. She too filed court papers yesterday to try to block the premier’s wedding, claiming that Mr Tsvangirai had promised to marry her. Mr Mutevedzi threw out her application.