Susan Nyaradzo Tsvangirai (née Mhundwa; 24 April 1958 – 6 March 2009) was a prominent figure in
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
an politics as a notable member of the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai
The Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC–T) is a centre-left political party and was the main opposition party in the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe ahead of the 2018 elections. After the split of the original Movement for Democ ...
(MDC-T) political party, and was the wife of
Morgan Tsvangirai
Morgan Richard Tsvangirai (; ; 10 March 1952 – 14 February 2018) was a Zimbabwean politician who was Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2013. He was President of the Movement for Democratic Change, and later the Movement for Democratic C ...
, former
Prime Minister of Zimbabwe
The prime minister of Zimbabwe was a political office in the government of Zimbabwe that existed on two occasions. The first person to hold the position was Robert Mugabe from 1980 to 1987 following independence from the United Kingdom. He to ...
. She has been described as being a mother figure for the country, providing strength behind the scenes.
Personal and political life
Tsvangirai was born on 24 April 1958.
She was raised in the Gunde area of Buhera District, which is near Dorowa Minerals.
[
Tsvangirai met her future husband, Morgan, in 1976 at the Trojan Nickel Mine in ]Bindura
Bindura is a town in the province of Mashonaland Central province, Zimbabwe. It is located in the Mazowe Valley about 88 km north-east of Harare. According to the 1982 Population Census, the town had a population of 18,243. This rose to 21,1 ...
, Rhodesia
Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...
, where he worked at the time as a foreman. She was visiting her uncle at the time of their meeting. Morgan reportedly told a friend at the time, "That is the girl I am going to marry!" They married in 1978 and the couple had six children during their marriage, which lasted for 31 years.
Although Tsvangirai often avoided the direct public spotlight, she played a significant, even if sometimes symbolic, role in Zimbabwean politics. She became one of the most popular figures within the MDC-T. Dennis Murira, the MDC-T Elections Director, described her as "a woman who was of immense significance to the party, a woman who on several occasions managed to comfort a number of us who were victims of this struggle." Supporters often chanted "mother, mother" at rallies and events. She remained by her husband as he faced treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
charges and police beatings in his opposition to President Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...
.
In addition to her MDC-T campaign and rally efforts, Tsvangirai offered vital support to her husband, and the MDC-T. Following attempts on Morgan's life, by groups loyal to Mugabe and the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Moza ...
(Zanu-PF) movement, Tsvangirai brought him food in prison after his police beatings and nursed him back to health afterwards. Such as when, in 1997, an unidentified gang tried to throw Morgan from a tenth floor office window, and in 2007 when he was admitted to hospital after a brutal assault by police at a prayer rally. She also made a point of visiting MDC members who were jailed while the party was in opposition.
In March 2009, following her husband's success in forging a unity government, Tsvangirai told a BBC affiliate that the past decade had been an "endurance test" for her, her husband and his MDC colleagues:
Following her death, Thabitha Khumalo, a member of parliament for the MDC, described her role as "a mother figure for the whole nation. Few people knew about her work. Whenever they saw her she was accompanying her husband to court or to vote, but very few people knew she played a very crucial role behind closed doors... She was a pillar of strength to her husband. In a struggle like his, you need someone to lean on and she was always there for him."
Death
Susan Tsvangirai was killed in a collision on the Harare-Masvingo Road on 6 March 2009, approximately 45 miles south of the capital, Harare
Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...
. Her husband, Morgan, who had been prime minister less than one month at the time of the accident, was injured in the crash. The couple had been en route to their home in Buhera
Buhera is a village in Zimbabwe.
Location
Buhera District is in Manicaland Province, in eastern Zimbabwe. It is about , by road, southwest of Mutare, the location of the provincial headquarters. This location is approximately , southeast of ...
, Manicaland
Manicaland is a Provinces of Zimbabwe, province in eastern Zimbabwe. After Harare Province, it is the country's second-most populous province, with a population of 2.037 million, as of the 2012 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census. After Harare and Bulawa ...
, where they planned to stay the night before attending a Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai party meeting at the Murambinda Business Center the next day. They were travelling in a Land Cruiser within a three car convoy when a truck belonging to the US aid agency United States Agency for International Aid (USAID) travelling in the opposite direction crossed into their lane and side-swiped their vehicle, causing it to roll over three times. The driver, 35-year-old Chinoona Mwanda, was found guilty of culpable homicide.
Morgan said his wife's death was an accident. The British foreign ministry said the truck was part of an aid project jointly funded by the US and UK and that the crash appeared to be "a genuine accident".
Morgan suffered minor bruises and scratches in the accident but Susan was pronounced dead at a hospital in Beatrice, Zimbabwe
Beatrice is a farming community in the province of Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe. It is located about 54 km south-west of Harare on the main Harare–Masvingo road where it crosses the Mupfure River. According to the 1982 Population Census, th ...
at the age of 50 years. Dennis Murira
Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius.
The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is sometime ...
, the executive director of the Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai political party, told the media "the devastating news is that he (Morgan Tsvangirai) has lost his beloved wife, a woman who was of immense significance to the party, a woman who on several occasions managed to comfort a number of us who were victims of this struggle." It was announced on 8 March 2009 that Tsvangirai will be buried in her rural home in Buhera
Buhera is a village in Zimbabwe.
Location
Buhera District is in Manicaland Province, in eastern Zimbabwe. It is about , by road, southwest of Mutare, the location of the provincial headquarters. This location is approximately , southeast of ...
on 11 March 2009.
Impact of the crash and death
Tsvangirai's death came at a challenging time for the fledgling power-sharing government, just two days after Morgan delivered his maiden speech to parliament. Her death further complicated an already tense situation in Zimbabwe's government.
The crash raised suspicions of foul play. Even though traffic accidents are common in Zimbabwe, due to the fact that vehicles in the country are often in bad shape, many roads are in poor condition, and drivers often are inexperienced; previous political rivals of President Robert Mugabe from Herbert Chitepo
Herbert Wiltshire Pfumaindini Chitepo (15 June 1923 – 18 March 1975) led the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) until he was assassinated in March 1975. Although his murderer remains unidentified, the Rhodesian author Peter Stiff says tha ...
on have also been involved in fatal car accidents: in 2001 Employment Minister Border Gezi
Border Gezi (December 17, 1964 – April 28, 2001) was a Zimbabwean politician. He was a close ally of Robert Mugabe within ZANU-PF and served as Minister for Gender, Youth and Employment from 2000 having previously been a provincial governor ...
and Defence Minister Moven Mahachi
Moven Enock Mahachi (13 June 1948 – 26 May 2001) served as the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Zimbabwe. He was a close ally of Robert Mugabe within Z.A.N.U.-P.F. Before becoming Defence Minister Mahachi served as M.P. for Makoni Wes ...
, and in 2008 government minister and former regional governor Elliot Manyika, all died in car crashes.
Tom McDonald, the United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe
The first United States ambassador to Zimbabwe was appointed on May 23, 1980, after the Republic of Zimbabwe replaced the previous white-minority government of Rhodesia, and its successor Zimbabwe-Rhodesia (1979–1980).
The Republic of Zimbabwe ...
from 1997 to 2001, said, "I'm skeptical about any motor vehicle accident in Zimbabwe involving an opposition figure... President Mugabe has a history of strange car accidents when someone lo and behold dies – it's sort of his M.O. of how they get rid of people they don't like... So, when I hear that Tsvangirai was in an accident, it gives me pause." The former US diplomat was calling for an outside investigation of the crash.
A statement issued by the MDC said: "We suspect that this is not a genuine accident and we appeal to Zimbabweans in South Africa to remain calm as facts continue to surface. We strongly believe that these are the evil acts of a few individuals bent on derailing the progress of the Inclusive government. We are, however, alive to the fact that a lot of Robert Mugabe's opponents died in suspicious road accidents involving army trucks."
Following the brutal suppression of the opposition leading into the close 2009 election; Mugabe was pressured into a power-sharing deal, resulting in the formation of a unity government. Rumours that the fatal incident was a botched assassination attempt (intended for Morgan rather than Susan) caused unrest amongst MDC supporters, which threatened to collapse the fragile Mugabe-Tsvangirai coalition government. Some suspect that the burden of the loss of Tsvangirai's support may also undermine Morgan's performance as Prime Minister.
References
External links
The Independent: Susan Tsvangirai – An ordinary woman with extraordinary charm
* ttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/09/susan-tsvangirai-zimbabwe-obituary The Guardian: Susan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwean premier's wife keen to help poorbr>Sydney Morning Herald: Susan Tsvangirai,1958–2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsvangirai, Susan
1958 births
2009 deaths
People from Manicaland Province
Road incident deaths in Zimbabwe
Spouses of prime ministers
20th-century Zimbabwean businesspeople
Zimbabwean Methodists
Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai politicians
Rhodesian Methodists
Zimbabwean women in business