Mugabe flies out again

via Mugabe flies out again – NewsDay Zimbabwe May 19, 2015

President Robert Mugabe heads to Botswana today, a few days after returning from a long haul trip to Mali.

According to a statement by the Botswana government, Mugabe will visit the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) headquarters in Gaborone.

“President Mugabe’s visit will, among other things, afford him a chance to interact with Sadc staff in their working environment,” the statement said.

“He is expected to plant a tree at the headquarters garden, address Sadc staff and the Sadc executive secretary, Lawrence Tax, will later on address a Press briefing.”

Mugabe’s frequent trips abroad have been described as a burden to the strained fiscus and poorly timed because of the urgent economic crisis his government has to attend to.

But government officials insist the trips are unavoidable because the 91-year-old leader is the Sadc and African Union chairman.

Mugabe has since the end of 2014 been to the Far East five times and visited six African capitals. According to our sister paper, The Standard, before his Mali sojourn, Mugabe’s trips had cost the taxpayer over $50 million.