African Union Observer Mission Chairperson and former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo is expected in Zimbabwe on Saturday to lead the team in observing the 31 July elections, AU chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has said.

According to Herald Dlamini-Zuma said this after paying a courtesy call on President Robert Mugabe at the State House in Harare on Thursday to announce the AU team’s presence in the country ahead of elections.
She said that Mugabe welcomed the scheduled arrival of Obasanjo.

This clears doubts over Obasanjo's visit to Zimbabwe after reports that the Pan African Forum  had rejected the former Nigerian leader as head of the AU observer mission.  

The forum accused Obasanjo of being divisive and said his appointment could lead to an Egypt-style scenario in Zimbabwe.

It accused Obasanjo of leaving a trail of failed mediation missions in his wake adding that "the African Union cannot entrust him...to be the vanguard of democracy in any country especially Zimbabwe where he has close ties with the opposition".