Zuma was met by a host of dignitaries, not including Gadhafi himself, who has not been seen since May 11 when he was shown by Libyan state television meeting what it said was tribal leaders.
His walk down the red carpet at Tripoli airport was accompanied by a band and children chanting “We want Gadhafi!” in English while waving Libyan flags and pictures of the leader.
Zuma’s visit is his second since the conflict began. His previous trip made little progress because Gadhafi has refused to relinquish power while rebel leaders say that is a pre-condition for any truce.
Nato warplanes have been raising the pace of their air strikes on Tripoli, with Gadhafi’s Bab al-Aziziyah compound in the centre of the city being hit repeatedly.
Britain said Sunday it was to add “bunker-busting” bombs to the arsenal its warplanes are using over Libya, a weapon it said would send a message to Gadhafi that it was time to quit.
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