Morgan Tsvangirai was the leader of Zimbabwe before Robert Mugabe. He has brought the dictatorship in his home country to the attention of people all over the world. In his early years, he worked in a nickel mine for over a decade, which showed how hard he worked. He became well-known quickly and moved up in the Mine Workers Union, where he eventually became the secretary-general. The longer he was in office, the more he disagreed with the current government. After trying to get rid of President Robert Mugabe by making a new constitution and failing, he started a new political party. This group grew into the most powerful opposition the country has ever seen. He tried to run against him in a legal election, but Mugabe’s government scared him off, made threats, and even arrested him. Because of this, Tsvangirai was arrested three times on charges of betraying his government. Even though all the charges were dropped in the end, he didn’t do much to weaken the dictator’s power. He was able to form a government with shared power in which he was named prime minister. Even though he never beat Mugabe in an election, he has made the abuse of power by the government a global issue. The rest of the world has started to put pressure on Mugabe to leave office and stop breaking people’s rights.
Early years and childhood
Morgan Tsvangirai was born in Gutu, Zimbabwe, on March 10, 1952. His father worked in a mine, as a builder, and on a farm.
He went to Hwedza Primary School St. Marks Gonzo. Then, he changed schools and went to Chikara Primary School Gutu. He went to Gokomere High School for his secondary education.
There were eight younger brothers and sisters, and money was tight for the family. Because of this, he quit school as soon as he could to find work and help his family.
Morgan Tsvangirai’s Career
He got his first job in 1972. He worked at the Elastics & Tapes textile factory in Mutare as a trainee weaver.
In 1974, he began working at Trojan Nickel Mine. During this time, he also joined the Associated Mineworkers Union and became a member.
He kept working in the mine and became known there. In 1985, the Mine Workers Union chose him as vice president because of this.
In 1988, he was made secretary-general by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions. He was so well-liked and successful that he kept this job for eleven years until the trade union broke up into different parties.
In 1997 and 1998, he spoke out against the way President Robert Mugabe handled taxes. As secretary-general, he was in charge of a series of strikes. At the same time, he became a member of the National Constitutional Assembly and became its leader. He ran a very strong campaign for a new constitution for Zimbabwe.
He made the Movement for Democratic Change in 1999. The party turned out to be the most effective challenge to the government in Zimbabwe’s history.
He ran against the current president, Robert Mugabe, in the 2002 elections for president. But right before the election, he was charged with treason because it was said that he was trying to kill the president. Many people thought that Mugabe won the election by cheating.
Between 2002 and 2007, he was arrested, released, and arrested again dozens of times. He was arrested for treason because he planned an assassination, called for mass protests, and spoke at a prayer rally that caused a lot of trouble.
The Global Political Agreement was signed by Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai on September 15, 2008. As a result of these talks, Mugabe stayed on as president, Tsvangirai became prime minister, and Mutambara became the deputy prime minister.
He became the prime minister of Zimbabwe on February 11, 2009. Even though the power was shared, there were a lot of disagreements and fights in the new government.
Robert Mugabe was re-elected as president in the 2013 general elections, which were again thought to be rigged. The job of the Prime Minister was done away with by the Constitution of 2013.
Works of note
Morgan Tsvangirai has done a great job of getting the world’s attention on the abuse of human rights and the continuing dictatorship in Zimbabwe. He worked hard and kept at it until he got President Mugabe to agree to a plan for sharing power. But things didn’t stay that way for long.
Awards & Achievements
He won the Solida Silver Rose Award in 2001. He was given the award because of his outstanding work in civil society.
In 2009, he was given the Human Rights Award for his work to protect human rights. He got this award because he fought hard for human rights in his own country.
He got the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. The Spanish Foundation Cristobal Gabarron gave it to him for working for democracy and peace.
In 2013, South Korea’s Sun Moon University gave an Honorary Doctorate in Public Administration. He is only the 13th person in the school’s 125-year history to get an honorary degree in this way.
Personal History and Legacies
He tied the knot with Susan Nyarandzo Mhundwa on July 10, 1979. They had six children between them. In 2009, Susan was killed in a car accident, which was very sad.
Estimated Net worth
Morgan Tsvangirai is one of the most popular and wealthiest politicians. Based on what we found on Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider, Morgan Tsvangirai has a net worth of about $5 million.
Trivia
At least three people have tried to kill him, but they failed. One of these attempts happened in 1997, when the killer broke into his office and tried to throw him out of a window on the tenth floor.