President Pierre Buyoya of Burundi is to hold talks with Deputy President Jacob Zuma in Pretoria on Friday on the peace process in that country, the foreign affairs ministry said.
This would be followed by discussions on the same topic with former president Nelson Mandela at his Lower Houghton, Johannesburg, home on Saturday.
Zuma succeeded Mandela as chief peace negotiator between government and rebel forces in Burundi.
The deputy president’s representative Lakela Kaunda said he would meet Buyoya at Zuma’s Pretoria residence from about 7pm. This follows Zuma’s consultations on Thursday with one of the armed groups in Burundi, Palipehutu-FNL.
On Monday, a summit on Burundi is to be held by the heads of state of the Great Lakes region in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Zuma, President Thabo Mbeki, Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Intelligence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu would attend these talks.
”Deputy President Zuma will present a report to the summit on ceasefire negotiations between the transitional government of Burundi and the Palipehutu-FNL and the National Council for the Defence of Democracy –Forces for the Defence of Democracy respectively,” the foreign affairs department said.
On his brief visit to South Africa, Buyoya would be accompanied by his ministers of external relations and cooperation, as well as transport, post and telecommunications.
Civil war has been raging in Burundi since 1993, causing more than 250 000 deaths, mainly civilian. – Sapa