Tsvangirai reaches out-of-court settlement with ex-lover

01 November 2012 - 12:29 By Sapa-AFP
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
REAL CHOICE: Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's new wife Elizabeth Macheka has taken up political and public roles to help repair her husband's image dented by sex scandals
REAL CHOICE: Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's new wife Elizabeth Macheka has taken up political and public roles to help repair her husband's image dented by sex scandals
Image: Africa Edition

Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has reached an out-of-court settlement with an ex-lover whom he dumped to marry another woman, a lawyer said on Thursday.

Locardia Karimatsenga Tembo had gone to a civil court demanding US $15,000 per month in maintenance payments from Tsvangirai following his marriage to Elizabeth Macheka, but withdrew the case after accepting an undisclosed one-off payment.

"The matter has been resolved amicably," Tembo's lawyer Everson Samukange told AFP.

"The prime minister agreed to pay a lump sum for my client's maintenance but I do not have instructions to divulge the figure. All I can tell you is that both parties are happy with the arrangement.

A previous attempt to reach an out of court settlement failed.

The state-owned Herald newspaper, quoting unnamed sources, said Tembo had demanded a $500,000 lump sum and three oxen while Tsvangirai insisted he could only pay her $200,000.

Tsvangirai's monthly salary is unclear, but the average wage for a cabinet minister in Zimbabwe is about $900.

Tsvangirai has publicly apologised for the affairs with the two women, saying he had no intention to hurt them.

His first wife of 31 years, Susan, was killed in a car accident in March 2009, just weeks after he went into a unity government with his long-time rival President Robert Mugabe following failed elections in 2008.

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now