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Cape Town – Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who is the current chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), has arrived in South Africa ahead of the Double Troika summit on Lesotho, reports say.
The summit, which kicks off on Friday in Pretoria, is expected to find a solution to Lesotho’s political crisis, following the death of former army commander Maaparankoe Mahao.
Mahao was allegedly shot dead by members of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) in his village home on the outskirts of Maseru last week.
According to The Herald, presidents Hage Geingob of Namibia and Ian Khama of Botswana were scheduled to be part of the proceedings.
"President Zuma, after being briefed on the security situation in Lesotho by his fact-finding mission, invited heads of state and government of the SADC Double Troika for a meeting in Pretoria to discuss the situation," Zimbabwe’s foreign affairs secretary Joey Bimha was quoted as saying.
Exchange of fire
President Jacob Zuma is the chairperson of the organ on Politics, defence and Security.
A report by eNCA said on Friday that the summit will consider claims from key role-players in Lesotho of a rogue army and assassination plot.
Lesotho’s president Pakalithi Mosisili claimed he didn't know how Mahao was killed, but that the army told government that the ex-army chief attempted to resist arrest and there was an exchange of fire.
According to reports, opposition leaders, journalists and lawyers who have spoken out against Mosisili and his defence force chief, Tlali Kamoli, are fleeing the country.
Three opposition leaders have fled the country, fearing for their lives. This includes former prime minister Tom Thabane, who was an ally of Mahao.
