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Farirai Machivenyika, Harare Bureau
A seven-member Commonwealth membership assessment team is on a five-day visit to observe the pre-election environment as part of a broader informal assessment of the situation in the country after Zimbabwe expressed interest to rejoin the club of former British colonies.

The team is representing Commonwealth Secretary-General Ms Patricia Scotland.

Yesterday, the team met Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Lieutenant General Sibusiso Moyo (Retired) who said the visit was as a result of an invitation extended to the organisation by President Mnangagwa.

“The pre-election observation team has come as a result of the dialogue, the discourse we have been having between the current Government through the President and the Commonwealth secretariat,” he said.“We have invited the Commonwealth as an organisation to come and observe our elections and observe the whole process. But in the process, as they do so, they will then consider the processes of clearing other processes which are determinants in readmission into the Commonwealth.”

Minister Moyo said re-admission of Zimbabwe into the group of former British colonies would be determined by whether the country had met set conditions.

“The time (for the re-admission) is not Zimbabwe’s initiative, it is primarily a process that the Commonwealth is undertaking simultaneously with observation of the pre-election period.

“Remember we have expressed an interest to rejoin the Commonwealth and His Excellency communicated that to the secretariat but this is going to be subject to final confirmation at the end of this year at a conference where people are going to make their judgment on where we should be going to make a formal application,” he added.

The delegation also met Senate President Cde Edna Madzongwe at Parliament building.

“I am very happy that you are in our country and your mission is a welcome one after our President has written that we are ready to rejoin the Commonwealth,” Cde Madzongwe said.

Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth in 2003 at the height of tension between Harare and London over the land issue.

Former president Robert Mugabe announced Zimbabwe’s withdrawal from the group following a Commonwealth summit in Nigeria that suspended the country indefinitely.