The government of Zimbabwe’s refusal to grant Morgan Tsvangirai full travel documents to enable him attend a SADC Summit in Swaziland is a slap on democracy and human rights. If Mugabe is serious about the future of Zimbabwe, he should accord Tsvangirai all the travel documents.

Mugabe’s intransigence may stall the efforts of 26 leaders of member states of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East Africa Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) who are meeting in Kampala (Uganda) to deliberate among other things, promoting free movement of people, regional integration, free trade, customs union, monetary union and common markets.

The Zimbabwean government should commit itself fully to the struggle for the ideals of democracy if it wants to surge towards a better future. There should be an appropriate balance of power in government, a respect for human rights, and an enabling environment for all. Steps should be taken to depoliticise and reform state institutions - the judiciary, security services, and state welfare agencies thereby catering for all citizens. A strong Zimbabwe is a strong Africa.