HARARE - Zimbabwean authorities have returned opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's travel documents on Thursday which will enable him to travel to South Africa for a key regional summit, a party spokesman said.

 

"The passport situation has just been resolved. They have their passports now. They will be leaving (for South Africa) on the 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) flight. There was no explanation," MDC media adviser Andrew Chadwick said.

 

 

EARLIER

 

In a stunning twist to the Zimbabwean political drama, President Robert Mugabe’s agents on Thursday afternoon confiscated MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s passport and blocked him from leaving Harare for South Africa to attend a SADC summit.

 

Tsvangirai was invited to the summit and was due to leave together with his party’s secretary general Tendai Biti and secretary for foreign affairs Elphas Mukonoweshuro lunch hour on Thursday.

 

However, ZimDaily reporter witnessed the drama at Harare International Airport when Tsvangirai arrived just before 1300 hours and was shocked to find Biti and Munoweshuro waiting in the lounge after the passports had already been confiscated by immigration officials reportedly acting on instructions from Mugabe’s office.

 

The MDC leader was also ordered to surrender his passport and informed he could not make the trip when he approached the immigration desk for checking in.

 

In an interview with ZimDaily, Tsvangirai said, “We are thoroughly shocked by this.

 

The South African government had arranged for us to travel and paid for the flight and all the other expenses.

 

The worst thing is the apparent show of bad faith by Mugabe when we are engaged in dialogue.”

 

Negotiations involving Mugabe, Tsvangirai and leader of the smaller MDC faction, Arthur Mutambara broke down on Tuesday with the mediator, SA President Thabo Mbeki saying they would resume soon.

 

He said Tsvangirai had requested an adjournment in order to consult and consider proposals on the table.

 

However, a lot of expectation has been on the SADC summit that is expected to critically discuss the Zimbabwean crisis and it is understood that Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara were all invited to attend.

 

FURTHER REPORTING BY NIZIPHO MASEKO

Tsvangirai had his passport confiscated at the Harare International Airport by suspected State security agents as he was about to board a mid afternoon plane to South Africa, his spokesman told ZimDaily.

George Siboitshiwe said MDC secretary general Tendai and Prof Eliphas Mukonoweshuro, MDC International Relations chief also had their travel documents seized.

The senior MDC officials were off to SA after a National Executive meeting held in Harare Thursday, which unanimously backed Tsvangirai’s position to refuse to enter a pact which was meaningless to the people.

Tsvangirai and his deputies were told to go home after a brief detention. Tsvangirai, who was going to SA at the invitation of Mbeki, but was due to meet Angolan President Eduardo dos Santos, who chairs the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security, and other regional leaders to sound them out on the MDC position on the talks.

It was not immediately clear if Tsvangirai was  going to attend the SADC heads of State closed-door session on Saturday, amid conflicting reports that he will attend while some reports say he will not.

Biti said: "The message being sent out is that there hasn't been a paradigm shift in the way Zanu (PF) conducts itself despite these talks. It is clear that they are not prepared to relinquish power, that is the loud and clear message being sent to President Mbeki, to the SADC and to the AU (African Union)."

The Zimbabwe crisis is high on the SADC summit agenda amid firm indications regional leaders are getting increasingly agitated by Mugabe's refusal to play ball.

 

The prevention of Tsvangirai and his team from leaving was seen as an attempt by Mugabe to draw an iron curtain around the MDC's position to the regional leaders.

 

Mugabe has embarked on a concerted disinformation campaign aimed at confusing the nation about the MDC's position.

Zanu (PF) has lied consistently about the rules of engagement at the talks, to the extent of lying that it has signed a pact with the smaller MDC faction, when no such deal had been ratified by anyone.

The State press today also claimed Tsvangirai was shifting goal posts and revealed details of a 13-point agenda of the talks in contemptous violation of the Memorandum of Understanding.

The Herald claimed Tsvangirai had agreed to all the points and later changed. 

 

Senior MDC sources said Tsvangirai had the full backing of the National Executive and the meeting in Harare unanimously backed the MDC leader's position.

 

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