Deputy President Jacob Zuma will depart for the Great Lakes region on Monday to hold consultations on the Burundi transitional process, his office said on Thursday.
Zuma’s spokesperson Lakela Kaunda said Zuma would meet with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni — chair of the Great Lakes Regional Initiative on Burundi — on Tuesday.
He would meet with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Kigali on Wednesday.
Later that day Zuma would leave for Bujumbura, where he would meet with Vice President Alphonse Kadege.
Kaunda said Zuma was concerned by the violence and loss of life reported in Burundi this week.
At least 28 people, including 17 rebels, were killed on Monday when the second biggest Hutu rebel group in Burundi, the National Liberation Forces (FNL), mounted a major attack on Bujumbura.
”He [Zuma] appeals to all parties to respect the transitional process and work towards lasting peace in their country,” Kaunda said.
The FNL has steadfastly refused to enter into negotiations with the government, even though a Hutu now heads the government.
In April, Domitien Ndayizeye took over as president from Pierre Buyoya, a Tutsi, for the second 18 months of the interim power-sharing regime, which is supposed to culminate in presidential elections late next year.
Zuma will return to South Africa next Thursday. – Sapa