The crisis in Zimbabwe is more than what The Elders' delegation had imagined, the trio announced in Johannesburg on Monday.

"We were expecting a gloomy situation, but the situation is far beyond what we could've imagined," said one of the Elders, Graca Machel.

The Elder's delegation comprises former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan, former United States president Jimmy Carter, and Machel, who an international advocate for women's and children's rights.

The three had planned to visit Zimbabwe over the weekend on a humanitarian mission, but they were refused entry. They continued their assessment of the country's humanitarian crisis in Johannesburg, by meeting political leaders, aid agencies, business and civil society representatives from Zimbabwe.

According to The Elders, most schools are closed in Zimbabwe, hospitals are also closed and people have no food.

"The leadership either has no clear picture of what is happening on the ground, or they just do not care about their people, otherwise they would do everything possible to stop the suffering and protect the people," The Edlers said.

The trio made a strong appeal to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to deal with the situation in Zimbabwe with a sense of urgency.