Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai will both attend Saturday's inauguration of South Africa's president-elect Jacob Zuma, along with a score of other mainly African heads of state and government, dpa cited Zimbabwean officials as saying today. Mugabe left Friday afternoon for Pretoria, where 5,000 people have been invited to watch Zuma be formally sworn in as the country's fourth democratically-elected president at government buildings. A further 30,000 spectators are expected to follow the proceedings on giant screens from the surrounding lawns. Tsvangirai arrived earlier in South Africa for the inauguration, Nelson Chamisa, Communications Minister in Zimbabwe's power-sharing government told the German Press Agency dpa. Previously, it had not been clear whether Tsvangirai was invited. No leader of a major Western power is attending. It was not clear whether the Western leaders were anxious to avoid openly endorsing the populist Zuma or merely wanted to cut back on travel costs. The 75-million-rand (8.9-million-dollar) ceremony, which will include a fly-past by civilian and military aircraft, had been criticized as too lavish by opposition parties, who say the money would be better spent on combating poverty. Some of the invitations also caused controversy. Mugabe is accused of overseeing gross human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, while King Mswati III's government has cracked down on activists calling for a multi-party democracy. But the protests have received scant attention, with all eyes riveted instead on the three women vying for the job of first lady. In a first for a South African president, Zuma is a polygamist. All three of his wives are attending the inauguration. Most or all of his 19 children are also expected to be present. On Friday, family members took part in a dress rehearsal at Union Buildings, a spokesman for Zuma said. Zuma's planned inauguration by Chief Justice Pius Langa follows his election as president by the National Assembly in Cape Town on Wednesday. As leader of the African National Congress, his election was a foregone conclusion after his party won a convincing majority of seats in parliament in April 22 elections.
