PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai returned home over the weekend to kick-start preparations for elections, while President Robert Mugabe remained behind in the Far East when his family returned from holiday yesterday, it has been learnt.
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According to government officials in Harare, the First Family — minus Mugabe himself — jetted into the country around 6am yesterday aboard an Air Zimbabwe Boeing 737-200 aircraft flown by Captain Emilia Fungayi Njovana.
A government official yesterday said Mugabe, who traditionally completes his annual leave by the end of January, is expected in the country tomorrow.
Mugabe, who has been in power since independence in 1980, will contest against Tsvangirai his longtime rival in watershed elections expected to mark an end to the shaky coalition government formed in 2009.
While it could not be established whether Mugabe would go back to work before the end of his annual vacation, Tsvangirai is on Thursday expected to meet the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) for a briefing on preparations for harmonised elections later this year.
“The PM is back and is in office as was said last week that he would cut short his break to focus on national issues,” Minister of State in the PM’s Office, Jameson Timba said.
Justice and Legal Affairs deputy minister Obert Gutu also said: “The PM is going to engage ZEC and all relevant stakeholders on Thursday as plans to capacitate ZEC continue to gather momentum.”
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President Mugabe’s spokesperson George Charamba was not immediately available for comment as he was said to be in a meeting. The principals are expected to meet regularly to oversee the constitution-making process and prepare for elections.
