Tsvangirai blames rivals for whirlwind divorce

Zimbabwe's prime minister has divorced his wife after just 12 days, blaming the split on a sinister "plot" by secret agents working for president Robert Mugabe.

Mr Tsvangirai, 59, married Lorcadia Tembo, 39, on November 18 but today blamed a campaign by his political rival for the whirlwind divorce. He said: "Since the day I married, everything has been played in the press and I have become an innocent bystander. This has led me to conclude that there is a greater and thicker plot around this issue which has undermined my confidence in this relationship.

"The marriage has been hijacked and there is an apparent active political hand that is now driving the processes. Everything is so well choreographed. The intention is clear: to inflict maximum damage on my person and character for political gain."

Newspapers loyal to Mr Mugabe, 87, have claimed Ms Tembo had tried to kill herself and that it was a shotgun marriage prompted by her pregnancy.

Mr Tsvangirai is the leading opposition political figure inside Zimbabwe. He has been repeatedly beaten and arrested for his political activity against Mr Mugabe's regime.