Welcome President Mugabe, but...

He is the only reigning leader who was in power when this organisation was established, in 1980. Mugabe has ruled his country since then, at the time when it was breadbasket for the southern Africa region.

Political stability has evaded the country over the years, since early 2000s, hitting hard on the performance of the economy, which succumbed. This instability and economic collapse forced millions of Zimbabweans to flee their country seeking economic freedom in neighbouring countries and beyond. The economy of Zimbabwe has not been doing well since early 2000s to this day.