Tsvangirai was due to meet Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete on Monday evening after embarking on his regional tour on Sunday, with his first stop being neighbouring South Africa.
Calling the meetings so far ‘fruitful’, Tsvangirai’s spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka confirmed via Facebook that the Prime Minister would be meeting Kikwete. Tamborinyoka also said that the MDC leader had met South African President Jacob Zuma and held a 40 minute meeting with him.
“President Zuma told the Prime Minister that SADC and the AU will do everything in their power to ensure a free and fair poll in Zimbabwe,” Tamborinyoka said. He added: “The PM is keen on an extraordinary summit on Zimbabwe.”
Tsvangirai is also expected to travel to Mozambique to meet President Armando Guebuza, and to Namibia to meet Prime Minister Hage Geingob. It is understood that Tsvangirai may also extend his trip beyond SADC, by meeting key members of the African Union.
SADC, as the guarantors of the unity government in Zimbabwe, have faced a barrage of criticism over the past four years for not doing more to ensure that reforms promised by the Global Political Agreement (GPA) are implemented. Tsvangirai too has faced criticism for not being vocal enough in demanding that ZANU PF stop stonewalling attempts at democratic change.
MDC leader Welshman Ncube has also reportedly dismissed Tsvangirai’s regional tour as “nonsensical.” According to the NewsDay newspaper, Ncube accused Tsvangirai of colluding with Mugabe in going against the GPA.
“They agreed for a July election and two weeks ago, he announced that they had tasked two ministers to come up with a roadmap. In the last few years, they have been focusing on stupid announcements. So how do you run to SADC yet you colluded with Mugabe in subverting the GPA? They sit with Mugabe every Monday, but all he did was to be cheated and dribbled by Mugabe,” Ncube is quoted as saying. – SW Radio Africa News
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