Mugabe leaves for SADC Summit

President Robert Mugabe has arrived in South Africa where he will attend the SADC Troika Summit to be held in Pretoria on Monday.

President Mugabe, who is accompanied by the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Didymus Mutasa; the Minister of Home Affairs, Kembo Mohadoi and other senior government officials, was met at the Oliver Tambo International Airport by the embassy staff.

Continued political disturbance in Lesotho is expected to take centre stage at the summit.

The summit will consider the latest political developments in the SADC region, specifically the political and security situation in the Kingdom of Lesotho and the DRC.

Coalition parties in the mountain kingdom have failed to reach consensus on the opening of parliament following its suspension on June 19, 2014 under threats of a coup d'etat.

South African President Jacob Zuma, who chairs the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security, visited Maseru last week to finalise consultations among the parties in the fragile coalition.

The All Basotho Convention and Basotho National Party have accused Mr Zuma of not taking the Basotho security crisis seriously and called on the SADC chair, President Mugabe to intervene.

Zimbabwe's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mumbengegwi, who chairs the SADC Council of Ministers said mistrust had been simmering in the in  the coalition government of the mountain kingdom for a long time.

This came to a head when leader of the military disarmed the police, leading to Prime Minister Tom Thabane fleeing to South Africa more than two weeks ago.

On DRC, the summit is expected to review progress in relation to the voluntary disarmament and surrender of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda.