Morgan Tsvangirai is a man

If ever an African leader showed the wisdom of a King Solomon, then that man is Morgan Richard Tsvangirai. Like the biblical king before him, he adjudged that the party who would rather save the baby, in this case Zimbabwe, rather than win (power) at any cost, would demonstrate who has the true love for his people.

No question, on a continent which is so bereft of leaders worthy of the name, here is a man.

Unlike all the laptop generals and radio phone-in heroes who have never faced a fraction of the torture that this man has, he has consistently, over a number of years, stood up to a thug disguised as a president.

In the face of horrendous intimidation, assassination attempts on his life, brutal beatings at the hands of a government which is the best advert for disinvesting in Africa, he has once again tried to run for election.

Instead of sheltering under the protection of the world spotlight and whatever the MDC could muster, while watching his followers and anyone suspected of voting for him being beaten up or murdered, he called time on this massacre.

When he could no longer stand the incredible slaughter that is going on in Zimbabwe, he chose to end his bid for his rightful place as president rather than allow it to carry on. This, on a continent where power is everything and human life is nothing.

The fact that the murder and torture has continued after his withdrawal is testimony to the levels of insanity of Mugabe and his followers, as well as their total disregard for African lives. This is, of course, shared by those African leaders who have stood back and allowed it to continue.

All African leaders are fully aware of exactly what is going on in Zimbabwe. If they aren’t, they should not be running a country. Perhaps Africans might want to assess their own leader’s response to Zimbabwe. What value they have placed on African lives, and weigh that against the expedience factor. If they have been silent is it from fear or for some benefit they have gained over the dead bodies of Zimbabweans?

It should give you a good indication of your future should they ever come under pressure from local opposition.

Those who believe that Tsvangirai should have stood for the presidential run-off regardless are invariably sitting a million miles away from the slaughterhouse that used to be a country. You are obviously fearless, and should try popping down to Zimbabwe with anti-Zanu-PF posters.

Tsvangirai knows the risk — that he, by far the more popular figure, might well have handed Zimbabwe to Africa’s worst cancer, Robert Mugabe and the Zanu-PF. It is almost impossible to describe how evil Mugabe and his followers are. A life to them is simply an object measured against material value.

The world needs to throw a fence around Zimbabwe and only allow out parties who have no known ties to this disease. Isolate it before it spreads.

And while African leaders decide what it is that they propose to finally do remember this. Don’t judge Morgan Tsvangirai, because there isn’t a man among you who would have forgone a presidency in order to save the lives of your citizens.

Yes, we are well aware of Africans’ great love of killing their opponents — we’ve been listening to this garbage all week down here. That is the language of thugs.

When the greatest African leader of all time emerged from an armed struggle and 27 years in jail, the only thing he wanted to do was reconcile an entire nation and build for the future of all South Africans. He will be remembered throughout history and across the world as a great man. A builder, not a destroyer.

How many of you would be prepared to save a life at great material cost to yourselves and no reward? When you can do that — try to build and bring peace, while everyone else is screaming kill and destroy, you will be a man.

Morgan Tsvangirai is a man.