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Funds for the trip were released by Treasury after the PM’s Office indicated that the pair were travelling “on Honourable Prime Minister’s duties”.
Ms Macheka left Harare yesterday accompanied by a secretary in the PM’s office, Ms Mary Mungweni.
Mr Tsvangirai customarily married Ms Macheka barely three months ago.
The PM’s Office applied for the funds from Treasury despite the fact that Ms Macheka and Ms Mungweni are not civil servants and are not entitled to such privileges.
PM Tsvangirai’s official duties are carried out by civil servants and not his wife.
“The PM’s spouse and a lady officer in his office left the country today (yesterday) for South Africa and are proceeding to India,” a source said.
“They are returning on July 12. The costs are fully borne by the Government of Zimbabwe after they indicated they were travelling on Honourable PM’s duties. This is despite the fact that the official duties of the PM are carried out by civil servants and not his wife.”
On her return on 12 July, Ms Macheka will join the Prime Minister and his daughter Rumbidzai on a 12-day visit to Japan and Australia, with the costs again borne by the cash-strapped Government.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti has often bemoaned expenditure on foreign trips by Government officials.
In his 2012 budget, Minister Biti revealed that over $45 million has been blown on foreign trips by officials.
The Prime Minister’s Japanese and Australian trips are at the invitation of the two countries.
“The Prime Minister is leaving for Japan on 15 July and will stay there for six days. He is expected to leave Japan on 21 July for Australia where he will stay up to 27 July,” the source said.
“Both legs include his wife, daughter Rumbidzai, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Jameson Timba, two principal directors, one director and two deputy principal directors.”
According to the source, the trips were meant to be “private fundraising” visits, but the PM’s Office later roped in Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Walter Mzembi and Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister Gift Chimanikire to “confer them a patina of officialdom”.
“Upon being told by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the PM does not deal with bilateral matters since he is not the Head of Government, the Japanese then pleaded that the delegation include ministers who could then interact with Japanese interests substantively,” said the source.
“It was at that point that Minister Mzembi and Deputy Minister Chimanikire were included.”
Relations between Zimbabwe and Japan are not that warm.
The Japanese have not imposed formal sanctions on Zimbabwe, but the Asian nation has acted as if it was bound by the European and US illegal economic embargo on Harare.
Outside the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Tokyo has done little to assist Zimbabwe and the value of interaction has declined.
Political observers yesterday noted that the PM’s visit to Japan could be an indication that “he is no longer sure about funding from the US and the British who are unhappy with his leadership and prefer a leadership reshuffle in the MDC-T” forcing him to cultivate new potential sources of funding.
The PM’s Australian trip is expected to trigger aid to MDC-T related ministerial portfolios ahead of the looming national elections.
The country is expected to hold elections this year.
“The trip is supposed to trigger aid flows and this is meant to put the MDC-T in good stead,” said one political observer.
Online Reporter