Tsvangirai jets back home

PRIME Minister Morgan returned has returned home after what he described as a successful regional tour.

Tsvangirai returned back into Harare yesterday from his 'diplomatic offensive' tour of the Sadc region and some West African countries. Tsvangirai was accompanied by the Minister of State in his office, Mr Jameson Timba who is also his party's secretary for international relations and co-operation.

Tsvangirai embarked on the tour last week saying he wanted regional leaders to compel President Mugabe to postpone elections till the implementation of "reforms".

Tsvangirai touched down at Harare International airport yesterday afternoon and was quickly whisked away from the tarmac by his aides, avoiding reporters who wanted to interview him over his trip.

MDC-T said Sunday that the African Union and regional SADC grouping would not accept a flawed election as Tsvangirai returned from a continental diplomatic offensive that was mocked by rivals back home.

"It is now clear that Africa is now speaking with one voice on Zimbabwe. The leaders made it clear that they will not accept either a violent or a rigged election and they also expressed their exasperation with the shenanigans of Zanu-PF," said Jameson Timba the MDC-T Secretary for International Relations & Cooperation.

"It is also clear that the yester-year single voice of solidarity with an individual or the former single ruling party Zanu-PF, is now raptured and replaced by solidarity with the democratic aspirations of the majority of Zimbabweans who are yearning for a better life under a new democratic dispensation."

State media claims that Tsvangirai was forced to climb down on his earlier stance of pressing for an extra-ordinary summit on Zimbabwe alleging lack of peace in the country after Tanzanian leader Jakaya Kikwete who chairs the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation reminded the premier that reports from Zimbabwe said peace was prevalent.

Tsvangirai's tour ended after meeting Mr Daniel Kablan Duncan, the Prime Minister of Cote d'Ivoire on Saturday and President Seretse Khama Ian Khama of Botswana yesterday.

Tsvangirai also met the leaders of four of the regional blocs that make up the Africa Union among them Sadc, ECOWAS, EAC and the Central African regional bloc led by Gabon.

The State aligned media also claims that Tsvangirai had to drop Mozambique from his itinerary amid indications from Maputo that President Armando Guebuza were not interested in meeting him.

The MDC-T leader was similarly snubbed in Angola where he ended up meeting low-level government officials, Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba and his premier Hage Geingob followed suit on Wednesday forcing Mr Tsvangirai to take his roadshow outside Sadc to central and east Africa.