President Robert Mugabe enjoys strong relations with the toppled Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who had signed several economic deals with Harare, including an agreement to supply fuel.
Elmegrahi was summoned to Munhumutapa Building Building by Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and served with the marching orders.
"Once you renounce the authority, which gave you letters of credence, pull down their portrait and burn the flag and pledge allegiance to a different authority, it means that act alone deprives you of the diplomatic standing, which you had been accorded," Mumbengegwi told reporters.
"This is what happened here with the ambassador and his staff. That act alone deprived the Libyan ambassador and his staff of any diplomatic status or standing in Zimbabwe because Zimbabwe does not recognise the National Transitional Council.
"It is in this context that the Libyan ambassador and his staff have been ordered to leave Zimbabwe within the next 72 hours."
Elmegrahi was served with a note verbale that read: "The Government of Zimbabwe regards the recent statements and activities of the ambassador and staff of the Embassy of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya as being inconsistent with their status as diplomatic agents of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
"Furthermore, both the statements and activities are unacceptable to the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe, which has diplomatic relations with the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya."
Mumbengegwi said the ambassador had breached the Vienna Convention.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform the esteemed embassy that the Government of Zimbabwe has taken a decision to withdraw its diplomatic staff from the embassy of Zimbabwe in Tripoli.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Zimbabwe avails itself this opportunity to renew to the embassy of the Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya the assurances of its highest consideration."
A furious Elmegrahi said he saw it coming.
"Of course, I expected the decision because Zimbabwe is a sovereign country. I will now go to my office and decide what to do but I still respect the government (of Zimbabwe) and its people.
"What is happening is our internal business," Elmegrahi said.
Post published in: Africa News