Johannesburg - South Africa on Monday heaped pressure on
Zimbabwe's rival political leaders to form a unity government, with
President Kgalema Motlanthe and the man tipped to soon replace him,
Jacob Zuma, describing the situation in Zimbabwe as 'very bad' and
'very desperate.'
Motlanthe, chairman of the 15-nation Southern African Development
Community reiterated: 'The parties must implement with immediate
effect their own agreement which they signed on September 15.'
He was speaking after meeting with former United Nations secretary
general Kofi Annan, former US president Jimmy Carter and Mozambican
social activist Graca Machel, who were barred from travelling to
Zimbabwe at the weekend by President Robert Mugabe's regime.
The three, representing The Elders brains trust of leading
activists and former world leaders founded by anti-apartheid icon
Nelson Mandela in 2007, wanted to visit Zimbabwe to shine a light on
the worsening humanitarian crisis in the country.
Close to 300 people have died of cholera and a further 6,000 have
been infected with the diarrhoeal disease in recent weeks as health,
sanitation and other public systems in the once model African economy
collapse. The Elders had been due to meet health workers and non-
governmental organizations struggling to feed over 3 million hungry
people.
But Mugabe's government denied them visas, saying they had not
consulted officials about their planned visit. The Elders, who met in
South Africa with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwean
refugees and aid agencies working with Zimbabweans, say they had
asked, in vain, for a meeting with Mugabe.
Speaking after talks with the three Elders, Motlanthe said Monday
they had painted a 'very depressing picture' of the situation in
South Africa's neighbour to the north, which is increasingly being
felt south of the border.
Four people have died of cholera in South Africa over the past 10
days as ailing Zimbabweans stream across the porous border in search
of treatment.
Already struggling to contain resentment in poor communities at
the influx of an estimated 2 million Zimbabwean refugees, South
Africa, the regional powerbroker, is showing signs of losing
patience.
Ruling African National Congress (ANC) leader Zuma, who is
expected to replace Motlanthe as president after elections next year,
called Mugabe's refusal to allow their visit, an 'unfortunate act'
and said the ANC would send envoys to meet with Mugabe's Zanu-PF and
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
Despite agreeing in principle in September to govern together, the
two parties have been unable to agree how to divvy up power.
The MDC is balking particular at Mugabe's insistence that Zanu-PF
and the MDC share control of the police. The MDC wants full control
of the police in return for allowing Zanu-PF to control the army.
Last week, South Africa announced it would follow the example of
Western donors and withhold a substantial farm aid package until the
dispute was resolved.
USA
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