I am saddened to see Morgan Tsvangirai has died. Despite the man’s flaws, he was steadfast in his desire for peaceful, free and fair elections in the country no matter the repression Zanu-PF meted out to opposition parties and despite the blatant theft of his 2008 election victory after South African government acquiescence. He probably should have stepped down years ago given how splintered the opposition became on his watch, but given all he went through (physical torture, demonisation in the state-owned press, losing a wife and grandchild in accidents) it is difficult for others to judge the man harshly with the benefit of hindsight and from the comfort of our homes. In the past election the Movement for Democratic Change lost by far more than can be explained by vote rigging alone. I suspect a large proportion of the populace — who were just too jaded and stayed away in the 2008 elections — turned out in 2013 as promises of indigenisation and instant "rewards" therefrom swayed t...
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