Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and eight senior party officials were on Thursday deported from neighbouring Zambia, an opposition spokesperson said.
Spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and his delegation had been in Zambia for three days before they were asked to leave in the early hours of Thursday morning.
”I can confirm that indeed Mr Tsvangirai went to Zambia on business, but for reasons yet to be verified Mr Tsvangirai was asked to go back to Zimbabwe,” Chamisa told Deutsche Presse-Agentur in a telephone interview.
Chamisa was one of those deported.
Other members of the group were William Bango, Eddie Cross, Pauline Mpariwa, Thokozani Khupe, Lucia Matibenga, Gertrude Mtombeni and Isaac Matongo.
Chamisa dismissed a claim on Zimbabwean state radio that Tsvangirai and his delegation had violated Zambian immigration laws.
”He followed all the relevant immigration laws to the letter,” Chamisa said. He said he thought the incident was ”politically motivated”.
State radio in Zimbabwe said Tsvangirai was deported at 2am on Thursday (midnight GMT). He and his delegation were ”left at Victoria Falls border post and they were seen this morning roaming the streets of Victoria Falls,” the radio said.
The radio claimed that Tsvangirai and the delegation had checked into the Livingstone Hotel using false names.
Zambia’s government shares strong ties with the government of President Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe. – Sapa-DPA