Zimbabwe's ambassador to Australia has gone into hiding after applying for a protection visa.
Jacqueline Zwambila was due to return home on Tuesday but instead appealed to the Australian government claiming her life would be in danger if she returned home.
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says he will judge her request for asylum on its merits.
Ms Zwambila is aligned to Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party.
She said she knew it meant the end of her term when Robert Mugabe won elections earlier this year.
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89-year-old Mr Mugabe has called on his opponents to accept defeat or commit suicide, telling the New York Times that "even dogs will not sniff at their flesh if they choose to die that way".
