President Cyril Ramaphosa’s special envoys to Zimbabwe left the neighbouring country empty handed after they were blocked by the government from meeting the opposition, sources close to the visit told Business Day Tuesday night.

Ramaphosa sent former speaker of parliament Baleka Mbete and former ministers Sydney Mufamadi and Ngoako Ramatlhodi on a fact-finding mission on the crisis in Zimbabwe. But the mission proved to be a damp squib after the envoys were blocked from meeting opposition leader Nelson Chamisa...