Sadc Troika Fails To Hold Meeting On Zim Crisis

The summit was cancelled at the last minute after Zambian President Rupiah Banda and his Mozambican counterpart Armando Guebuza failed to arrive in the Botswana capital, Gaborone.
Banda is currently the chairperson of the SADC Troika on Politics, Defence and Security, which deals with regional security issues.  Several SADC leaders, including President Jacob Zuma are in Gaborone to attend the official commissioning of the new SADC headquarters.
Zimbabwe’s main opposition the Movement for Democratic Change has been at odds with Zanu-PF leader Robert Mugabe, accusing him of reneging on implementing some of the recommendations of the 2008 Global Political Agreement which paved the way for the formation of a unity government. Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai travelled to Botswana to seek guarantees from SADC leaders that they will establish a road map to allow free and fair national elections in Zimbabwe by mid-next year.
However, it seems his hopes have been dashed when the scheduled SADC extra-ordinary summit failed to convene due to non-arrival of key SADC leaders chairing the Troika on Zimbabwe.
Both President Robert Mugabe and Mr. Tsvangirai have publicly stated their desire to have the elections staged next year to choose a new government to replace their troubled coalition. It is believed that some SADC leaders are pushing for the immediate deployment of a SADC team to oversee the reform and electoral process. President Zuma who is the SADC appointed facilitator in Zimbabwe has called for the immediate implementation of all outstanding issues agreed on the Global Political Agreement before an election can be held.Earlier this week, President Zuma sent his facilitation team to the Zimbabwean capital Harare to gather information that he wanted to use to brief SADC leaders who have converged in Botswana for the official commissioning of the new SADC headquarters in the capital Gaborone.
-SABC News