Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe discreetly slipped into South Africa on Saturday morning, SABC reported. The purpose and duration of his visit was not known.
The visit comes hot on the heels of South African President Thabo Mbeki’s remark earlier this week to the media that Mugabe’s ruling Zanu-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) would soon engage in formal talks. The MDC has since denied any knowledge of the talks.
In October last year speculation was rife that Mugabe had been to South Africa for medical treatment after suffering either a stroke or a bad fall.
Both the department of foreign affairs and presidential spokesperson Bheki Khumalo denied knowledge of Mugabe’s visit earlier on Saturday.
Foreign affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said if Mugabe had been scheduled to visit the country in his official capacity, it would have been announced.
”If he is here, it must be in his private capacity,” Mamoepa said on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, a US advisory to its citizens to consider leaving Zimbabwe for security reasons was labelled ”mischievous” by the Zimbabwean government.
Zimbabwean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pavelyn Musaka said the advisory
was aimed at misleading the American public about the true situation in Zimbabwe.
”It is a deliberate distortion of the facts on the ground bent on destroying the tourism industry which is on the mend,” she said.
”The State Department assessment of the political, economic and social situation in Zimbabwe is inaccurate.”
Zimbabwe’s tourism industry has been in the doldrums since 2000 when President Robert Mugabe’s government gave the go-ahead for the occupation of white-owned farms.
Tourism experts last year said arrivals had dropped in 2003 to about to 30% of the usual flow. Some experts however say tourism had started picking up towards the end of last year but gave no figures.
The US State Department on Thursday again urged Americans to consider leaving Zimbabwe, warning that the ongoing ”political, economic and humanitarian crises” could have a serious impact on security there.
”All US citizens in Zimbabwe are urged to take those measures they deem appropriate to ensure their well being, including consideration of departure from the country,” it added.
Crime has surged because of the nation’s economic collapse, with extremely high rates of unemployment and inflation, while about half the country’s population faces food shortages and possibly famine, the statement said.
”The humanitarian crisis is expected to worsen in coming months and may lead to unrest and possible large-scale migration of Zimbabweans to urban or border areas, with further disruption and an increase in crime and instability,” the US statement said.
The State Department said commercial farms should be avoided entirely because of the threat of violence by settlers or self-styled war veterans, ”who are typically young government supporters acting outside the law.” ‒ Sapa