Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai heads back to Zimbabwe this week.

He was expected to preside over a meeting of his party's national executive, to decide whether the party would pull out of a unity deal with President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF.

Tsvangirai left Zimbabwe in November but last month he was invited back by Mugabe to be sworn in as the new prime minister. However that was not the reason for his return.

He was to attend a meeting of his party's national executive on Sunday.

The meeting would discuss whether or not to continue talks with Mugabe’s party and stay in the unity deal.

Mugabe looked determined not to give into MDC demands for a bigger share of powerful government ministries and police still had more than 30 MDC members and rights activists in custody.

Eyewitness News