When Zimbabawe’s immediate past Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai recently decided to travel to Lagos, Nigeria, to consult controversial pastor/prophet, Temitope Balogun (TB) Joshua, little did he know that he would no longer find his wife at home on his return to Harare, the Zimbabwean capital.

Tsvangirai’s political fortunes had dipped following his party’s loss of the July 31, 2013 Zimbabwean elections and the end of the coalition government headed by veteran president Robert Mugabe. His woes further increased last month when his wife Elizabeth abandoned him as he was away to Nigeria in search of a solution to his problems at TB Joshua’ Church of Synagogue of All Nations.

“MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai’s marriage to Ms Elizabeth Macheka has essentially collapsed and the two have been living separately for close to a month now,” according to a January 1 report by Zimbabwe’s leading newspaper, The Herald.

Continuing, the story said: “The former Prime Minister lost his first wife, Susan, in a road accident in 2009. He briefly married Lorcadia Karimatsenga in 2012, but the marriage ended in a costly manner as he had to pay upwards of US$200 000 to leave her so that he could wed Ms Macheka.

“The Herald is reliably informed that Ms Macheka walked out on Mr Tsvangirai last month when he was in Nigeria consulting prophet TB Joshua.

“Ms Macheka now lives in the Philadelphia section of Borrowdale while Mr Tsvangirai remains in Highlands.

“Sources say close family members tried to resolve the ‘sensitive personal differences’ between Mr Tsvangirai and Ms Macheka without success.

“ ‘Elizabeth’s father (former Chitungwiza Mayor Mr Joseph Macheka) tried to intervene. He visited his daughter in Borrowdale and tried to impress upon her the essence of a marriage, but she would not co-operate,’ a source said

“Mr Macheka was not available for comment yesterday.

“There were reports that the MDC-T bought the Borrowdale house Ms Macheka is using but other reports say Ms Macheka built the house herself.

“Mr Tsvangirai himself says they co-own the house that his estranged wife has moved into.

“In an interview with The Herald at his Highlands residence yesterday, Mr Tsvangirai confirmed Ms Macheka was no longer living with him, but would not shed light on why she moved out.

“ ‘Ndizvo zvinonzi chakafukidza dzimba matenga (this is an example of a private affair). We do not have to disclose why we are not happy,’ he said.

“When this writer arrived at the residence to interview Mr Tsvangirai, the MDC-T leader called his wife on her mobile number so that she too would give her side of the story to The Herald.

“She did not answer the calls, and Mr Tsvangirai dispatched a driver to bring her to the house. The driver returned alone.”

•Photo shows TB Joshua (right) and Tsvangirai.