Thousands of Zimbabweans turned out on Tuesday for the funeral of stalwart opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who died recently after a long battle with cancer.
Mourners gathered in Tsvangirai’s home village in Manicaland province, many wearing the red of his opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
The ruling Zanu-PF government provided a helicopter to transport the body of the man who was once the biggest thorn in their side, to his final resting place.
Tsvangirai will be mourned by a large number of Zimbabweans who saw him as their only hope for political change during the decades of misrule, graft and human rights abuses under former President Robert Mugabe.
Others became disillusioned with Tsvangirai after he joined a power-sharing government; a move some critics say was a mistake that irreparably weakened the opposition.
At his funeral, however, the party’s new leader Nelson Chamisa used to speech to vow success in upcoming elections – the first without Mugabe, 93, on the ballot.
“This election is for the youths and all opposition parties should unite and dislodge the ruling party in honour of Tsvangirai,’’ Chamisa, 36, said.
Also in attendance at the funeral was Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Odinga said Morgan intended democracy of freedom and justice for his country and his people in spite of the firm hands of dictatorship that held sway.
Tsvangirai suffered multiple arrests and torture during Mugabe’s long rule.
Mugabe was ousted in a bloodless military coup 2017 and replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa.
