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after the chairman of the troika, South African leader Mr Jacob Zuma failed to turn up.
The meeting was called to discuss the political situation in Zimbabwe and Madagascar.It is understood President Zuma delayed his departure for Angola yesterday evening for the summit due to commitments at home where he was recently entangled in racist and vulgar art work.
According to a draft programme released yesterday, the troika will now meet this morning before the official start of the extraordinary summit of Sadc Heads of State and Government in the afternoon.
As preparations for the summit gather momentum, Zambian leader Mr Michael Sata paid a courtsey call on President Mugabe yesterday and openly declared that elections in Zimbabwe should be held this year.
After the troika meeting and the extraordinary summit today, a communiqué will be issued while a press conference will be held in the evening to conclude the proceedings.
The troika meeting is also expected to discuss the political situation in Lesotho and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa, Transport, Communications and Infrastructural Development Minister Nicholas Goche and Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa are here to attend the troika meeting.
Ministers Goche and Chinamasa are the Zanu-PF negotiators to the Global Political Agreement.
The troika reports to the full Sadc summit.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and faction leaders of the smaller MDC formation will also attend the troika meeting today.
The Sadc Council of Ministers was discussing the agenda of the extraordinary summit by late yesterday.
Initially, the meeting was supposed to be an extraordinary summit for the Heads of State and Government only, but the troika meeting was reportedly slotted in at the last minute.
The troika comprises leaders of Zambia, Mozambique and Namibia. Zimbabwe is expected to hold harmonised elections this year as the logical conclusion to the Sadc brokered GPA.
Zimbabwe is not on the agenda of the Sadc extraordinary summit, but as has been the norm since the Sadc brokered GPA, the troika will review the political situation in the country.
Before the Zimbabwean leaders left for Angola this week, the Sadc facilitation team led by Ms Lindiwe Zulu was in the country to meet the negotiators after which it left for SA en route to Luanda.
Online Reporter