Morgan Tsvangirai has been subject to some fake news stories, claiming he has passed away earlier this week. His family have been forced to deny the allegations, but Mr Tsvangirai is definitely struggling with his health.
News reports from Zimbabwe claim that the former Prime Minister has seen his condition deteriorate whilst receiving treatment in South Africa. He was due to fly out to Germany for extentsive treatment, but local doctors believe the long flight to Europe is unsafe for his current state.
Morgan Tsvangirai’s health
Tsvangirai has been fighting colon cancer since 2016, and recently underwent a round of chemotherapy treatment. However, rumours were circulating that he had died at the beginning of the week. Claims that just simply aren’t true, as reported by Zimbabwean publication News Day, who spoke to a close family source:
“Morgan is alive, but his health has deteriorated from the time he left the country. He is not feeling well and everyone is worried about his health. I saw social media messages saying he is dead, that is not correct, he is still alive”
NewsDay also suggested that Tsvangirai has three months to live. They attributed that quote to medical staff, but there’s no official word on just how terminal the cancer has become.
The MDC leader has fought against Robert Mugabe three times in presidential elections. That includes a fierce contest in 2008 that controversially saw Bob cling to power despite allegations of vote rigging.
Will Morgan Tsvangirai leave politics?
During the bloodless transition that removed Mugabe in November 2017, Mr Tsvangirai was full of praise for the military, who brought a 37-year authoritarian reign to an end.
However, it would now seem that the ex-Prime Minister is ready to retire from politics, as stated by News 24. We all hope that a man so instrumental in fighting against the Mugabe regime will get to participate in Zimbabwe’s first fair and democratic elections in decades, later this year.
