Lusaka prepares for SADC heads of state summit

Last March, Zambia's Foreign Affairs Minister Mundia Sikatana told SADC executive secretary Thomaz Salomao in Lusaka that when Zambia assumes the chairmanship of the regional grouping, Zimbabwe will be placed at the top of the agenda.

As a result of the economic and political crises in their country, millions of Zimbabweans have been flocking to Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Zambia in search of jobs and better living. The exodus has compounded the already existing immigration problems in the affected states. Repatriation of illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe is a daily exercise in the countries affected. Zimbabwe, which was once one of Africa's most flourishing economies, is experiencing a 4,500 percent inflation rate, the highest in the world.