The Sunday Mail
Brian Chitemba Investigations Editor
MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai’s “secret” wife of more than 20 years with whom he sired two children has been unmasked following his failure to settle US$15 227 rental arrears. The woman whose union with the opposition politician has been known to some in social circles — though remaining pretty much under wraps — is Ms Josephine Chibali.
The Sunday Mail got to know her identity after some of her belongings were attached by her landlady — Mrs Patience Matshe — when Mr Tsvangirai failed to settle arrears that accumulated during Ms Chibali’s stay at house number 27 College Road, Alexandra Park, Harare.
Mr Tsvangirai’s spokesman Mr Luke Tamborinyoka denied his boss was customarily married to Ms Chibali but confirmed that the two had a 24-year-old son and a 20-year-old daughter.
He said; “Morgan Tsvangirai takes his responsibilities as a father seriously. Those close to him know that it is a public secret that he has two children with the woman in question and he lives with the two children as any responsible father would do. The girl has completed university and the boy child will complete his degree next year.
“Morgan Tsvangirai has nothing to do with the debts accrued by private individuals in this country, including the woman in question. Rather than this relentless and needless pursuit of individuals remotely connected to Tsvangirai, The Sunday Mail would do this nation a lot of good if it also in the same vein tells us about domestic and foreign debt of over US$10 billion that this country has failed to pay.
“It does not make sense to talk about debt of private individuals and then trying to see how these debts can be linked to Tsvangirai.”
However, a close family member who preferred anonymity insisted that Mr Tsvangirai and Ms Chibali have been customarily married for over 20 years, although the woman has remained “reserved” even when the politician’s love scandals rocked the nation in 2012.
Ms Chibali could not be reached for comment as efforts to interview her proved fruitless for the past two weeks.
But in a letter to Mrs Matshe’s lawyers Mundia and Mudhara Legal Practitioners on September 4, 2015, Ms Chibali confessed that her husband Mr Tsvangirai (61), was responsible for paying the rent at 27 College Road, Alexandra Park.
In part the letter reads; “With regard to this debt which I owe to Mrs Matshe, I would like to state my case. I am customarily married to Morgan Tsvangirai. I was residing in Norton since 1997 to 2009 in June. I moved to Alexandra Park in July 2009. The owner of the place is Mrs Matshe but my husband asked me to move in and he was responsible for paying the bills.
“I was paying the bills on time which was a total of US$1 500 per month up to the time my husband was in financial problems. This was after he lost Presidential elections (in 2013).
Ms Chibali said Mr Tsvangirai made numerous promises to pay the debt but failed to raise the money until Mrs Matshe was forced to attach a Toyota Camry in June 2014.
“She took it (Toyota Camry 2.6) as security on top of the US$1 000 deposit. I tried to sell the car but they refused to release it. We later agreed that they sell it and notify me of the balance,” she said.
“The problem of paying the balance is my husband with whom I have two kids is failing to raise the money. At the moment my son is no longer going to school because of financial problems and my daughter completed her course by the grace of God. I am not working and Mr Tsvangirai said he was prepared to pay US$300 per month starting from the 1st of October (last Thursday) 2015.”
However, Mrs Matshe would not entertain any of that and obtained a writ of execution against movable and immovable property from the High Court on September 17, 2015, under case number H.C 10187 /14.
The writ of execution directed the Sheriff to attach movable property, failure of which a house in Katanga township, Norton was to be attached.
“You are required and directed to attach and take into execution the movable goods of Josephine Chibali defendant of No. 2106 Katanga Township Norton and of the same cause to be realised the sum of US$15 227 together with interests thereon, at the rate of five (5) per cent per annum from August 15, 2014, legal costs (TBA) in the above mentioned suit for the plaintiff which it recovered by judgment of this court dated the 12th February 2015 in the said suit, besides all your costs thereby incurred,” reads part of the writ of execution.
“You are further required and directed that if after due inquiry and diligent search, you are unable to find any movable goods belonging to the said defendant to satisfy the amount due under this writ that you attach and take possession of stand 2106 Ngoni Township, measuring five hundred and forty two (542) square metres in the district of Hartley and represented and described on general plan CG 2660 date 26 August 1997 held under deed of grant number 8651 /2003 registered in the name of Josephine Chibali.”
Mrs Matshe’s lawyers Mundia and Mudhara Legal Practitioners declined to comment.
Mr Tsvangirai’s failure to pay the rentals for Ms Chibali comes amid reports that the former Prime Minister has fallen on hard times.
Previously, the embattled politician was linked to several women following the death of his wife Susan, in March 2009.
Mr Tsvangirai is married to the mother of three Ms Elizabeth Macheka (36) but before that he had also paid a staggering US$36 000 for Ms Locadia Tembo before the marriage collapsed in a record seven days after which he paid her US$300 000.
A Bulawayo woman, Ms Loretha Nyathi at one time claimed maintenance from Mr Tsvangirai as he was accused of neglecting his son — Ethan, as he defaulted on the US$2 200 maintenance in August 2013 — exactly a month after a crushing electoral defeat from President Mugabe.
Mr Tsvangirai’s civil marriage to Ms Macheka was blocked after a South African woman –—Ms Nozipho Shilubane approached the courts. He has earlier been linked to Susan’s sister, Leah Mhundwa and another Bulawayo woman only identified as Nobuhle.
