By Langton Ncube|US Ambassador To Zimbabwe, Harry K Thomas Jn has taken an opposite against MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, suddenly showering praises on Zanup PF leader Emmmerson Mnangagwa who Tsvangirai has discredited before the US.

The US envoy told a state owned local commercial radio in Harare on Thursday that Mnangagwa had started his leadership on a good note.

“We very much applaud President Mnangagwa’s decision and statement that there would be free and fair elections in line with the constitution of Zimbabwe, so that is an excellent start,”he said.

Mnangagwa toppled Robert Mugabe in November last year with the assistance of the military, and has since inauguration repeatedly promised to revive the economy and reunite with the west.

Ambassador Thomas said that alone was a sign of Harare’s repentance.

“That’s up to Zimbabwean people. After all you have to judge him and you do that by the ballot box which is the fair way in democracy.

“We are going to judge him by his performance and we cannot criticise his call for free and fair elections, extension of BVR period, invitation to election monitors, decision to reform your economy and invite the Diaspora to invest,”said the US envoy.

Early this week the US Harare embassy embarrassed the opposition MDC-T deputy President Nelson Chamisa by dismissing  his statements last weekend at a political rally when he said that America had promised them $15 billion if they were to win this year’s elections.

The US government said they would instead work with anyone who would have won the elections as opposed to Chamisa’s utterances.