There was no basis whatsoever to kill non-combatant prisoners. Killing was never an option.

Ridiculous claims that he staged his own abduction and subsequent disappearance should be treated with the contempt they deserve. The Harare regime knows where the activist is.

Leading human rights organisations including Crisis Coalition, Zimrights and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights have expressed their utter sense of shock at this latest development.

Mugabe’s poor execution of the redistribution of farmland to the black majority left African farmers unable to provide for the needs of the population. With imposed sanctions, a Western ban and a questionable business philosophy can the man who has brought the country to its knees really be the best option for chairman of the African Union?

It is remarkable that an organisation like the African Union, supposedly committed to values such as democracy, economic development and human rights – not to mention gender equality – can choose someone like Mugabe as its figurehead, given Mugabe’s patchy record in these areas. He is a symbol of the AU's hypocrisy.