Penahanan dan penyerangan Tsvangirai pada 11 Maret saat ia mencoba menghadiri unjukrasa melawan pemerintah secara luas dikutuk oleh Barat, tapi temu puncak SADC, yang bertujuan menanggapi kegawatan di Zimbabwe, berakhir dengan pernyataan kesetiakawanan pada pemerintah Mugabe, veteran berumur 83 tahun.
Tsvangirai's arrest and subsequent assault on March 11 while trying to attend an anti-government rally was widely condemned by the West but the SADC summit, which was meant to address the crisis in Zimbabwe, ended up with a statement of solidarity with the 83-year-old Mugabe's government.