The terrorism trial of Zimbabwe's Roy Bennett, which prompted Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's government boycott was due to resume on Monday in Harare.

Zimbabwe averted a political meltdown on Friday after Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai ended his boycott of the unity government, but faced a new deadline to resolve a slate of thorny disputes.

Zimbabwe on Thursday expelled the UN torture expert who had been set to meet Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, as regional ministers met to review the country's crisis-hit unity government.

A judge on Saturday granted lawyers for a top aide to Zimbabwe's prime minister more time to prepare for trial in a case that has prompted the longtime opposition to abandon shared rule with President Robert Mugabe at least temporarily.

Zimbabwe's prime minister announced he was boycotting the country's troubled unity government on Friday, citing the "persecution" of a top aide being tried on what are widely seen as trumped up coup allegations.