A plane carrying Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was forced to return to South Africa this week morning after it developed a technical fault.

The SA Airlink plane had entered Zimbabwean airspace when the incident occurred.

It landed safely back at OR Tambo International Airport.

Tsvangirai’s spokesma n James Maridadi confirmed the incident . “The prime minister was on the plane but it landed safely back in Johannesburg. He later travelled back home on another flight.”

A few days ago, another SA Airlink aircraft with 32 passengers on board left a runway at Port Elizabeth airport. Nobody on board was injured.

In September four people were injured, two critically, when an Airlink aircraft crashed at a school near Durban.

Tsvangirai was returning from an official visit to North Africa, where he met African Union chairman and Libyan leader Muammar G addafi to brief him on developments in Zimbabwe’s coalition government. He also visited Morocco. – Radio Voice of the People