Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was set to hold a crucial meeting on Tuesday with Mozambican President Armando Guebuza, who chairs the SADC’s organ on Politics, Security and Defence.

Sources in the MDC told us Tsvangirai and his delegation flew out of Johannesburg for the day long visit to Mozambique on Tuesday morning. Guebuza’s spokesman told journalists that the two leaders were due to meet in Chimoio, in the province of Manica.

During his whirlwind tour of the region, the MDC leader will also have meetings with South African leader Jacob Zuma, Angolan President Eduardo dos Santos and current SADC chair, President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Tsvangirai embarked on his diplomatic offensive on Monday in a bid to explain to regional leaders the reasons the MDC has disengaged from the unity government.

The MDC leader is also pushing for SADC to hold an extraordinary meeting on Zimbabwe to deal with outstanding, non-compliance and toxic issues that continue to impede the transitional government.

Last week, the MDC withdrew from the unity government until Robert Mugabe fully implements the terms of the power-sharing deal. Having been frustrated for months the move was finally sparked by the arrest of the country’s Agriculture Deputy Minister designate Roy Bennett on terrorism charges.

Other issues include sharing of posts of provincial governors, diplomats, senior public servants, the disputed appointments of attorney-general Johannes Tomana and Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono, arrests of MPs and full implementation of the political agreement signed in September last year.

During his five-leg tour, Tsvangirai will meet the key SADC figures, like Guebuza, Dos Santos and Zuma, who form the SADC Troika.

SADC brokered the power-sharing agreement between Tsvangirai and Mugabe and alongside the African Union are the guarantors of the pact. But so far they have shown little interest in getting involved and ensuring that Mugabe finally commits to really sharing power.