Citizen of Zimbabwe: Conversations with Morgan TsvangiraiMorgan Tsvangiraiís appointment as Zimbabweís Prime Minister in 2009 followed many yearsí leadership of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trades Unions and the Movement for Democratic Change. How has that experience equipped him for high national office? Does he have the personal, intellectual and political qualities required to be President? In July 2004, as he was awaiting the verdict in his treason trial, Tsvangirai spent several days in conversation with Stephen Chan. Chan was concerned to find out if Tsvangirai was more than ëmerely a charismatic leader of the oppositioní; if he had ëhis own intellectual agenda [and] political philosophyí. His questions were even-handed and astute. ëDiscussion by discussion, Morgan Tsvangirai had become more open, more human ñ less cautious and, paradoxically, more obviously and naturally presidential.í Five years later, having reviewed the events since their discussions took place, Chan writes: ëI have not made a saint of him, not even an Atlas. I hope I have not criticized him too much or too unfairly. Probably no one could have done for Zimbabwe what he has.í Citizen of Zimbabwe is a rare and intimate portrait of political leadership in Africa. |
From inside the book
Page 6
... trade union inception. For the sake of this book he agreed to talk extensively with me, and these discussions took place towards the end of July 2004. Except where indicated, all quotes from Tsvangirai are taken from these discussions ...
... trade union inception. For the sake of this book he agreed to talk extensively with me, and these discussions took place towards the end of July 2004. Except where indicated, all quotes from Tsvangirai are taken from these discussions ...
Page 9
... union. It was not until the late 1980s that he became head of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and gained a national platform. He is thus 28 years younger than Robert Mugabe, who has five university degrees, some earned by ...
... union. It was not until the late 1980s that he became head of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and gained a national platform. He is thus 28 years younger than Robert Mugabe, who has five university degrees, some earned by ...
Page 10
... trade union business. Economic structural adjustment in the 1990s meant increasing hardships for the workforce. The trade unions had to fight not only to represent their members but also to avoid marginalisation in a hardball economic ...
... trade union business. Economic structural adjustment in the 1990s meant increasing hardships for the workforce. The trade unions had to fight not only to represent their members but also to avoid marginalisation in a hardball economic ...
Page 11
... union management was weak and membership was uneven. Eighty-three per cent of all parastatal workers were unionised ... trade union movement was, given its history and condition, nothing short of remarkable. He established considerable ...
... union management was weak and membership was uneven. Eighty-three per cent of all parastatal workers were unionised ... trade union movement was, given its history and condition, nothing short of remarkable. He established considerable ...
Page 14
... trade union imprint which, despite the exposure to the NCA, it never entirely lost. Tsvangirai, in his January acceptance speech, made three points. The first was that the MDC stood for an end to the internal plunder of Zimbabwe by a ...
... trade union imprint which, despite the exposure to the NCA, it never entirely lost. Tsvangirai, in his January acceptance speech, made three points. The first was that the MDC stood for an end to the internal plunder of Zimbabwe by a ...
Contents
1 | |
8 | |
Inclusiveness Opposition | 21 |
The Battle for Ownership of the Mind | 31 |
Internationalism Reconciliation | 44 |
Perseverance | 52 |
Disease Conditionality | 62 |
Traditional Culture Modernity Democracy | 70 |
Healing the Future | 81 |
A Rueful Reflection | 89 |
The Twisting Turning Road Forwards | 96 |
Back Cover | 109 |
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