Talks on financial assistance to Zimbabwe are expected to be concluded soon, the South African finance ministry said on Friday.
Discussions between the two countries on a ”principled decision” to assist Zimbabwe are at a sensitive stage, spokesperson Logan Wort said.
”We are not confirming or denying any meetings or indicating how far we are in the process,” he told reporters before the start of an unrelated press conference in Pretoria.
”When things are finalised, the government will make a full, detailed announcement.”
No information will be made available until then, he said.
”We are very hopeful that the discussions will be concluded very soon.”
The African Development Bank’s newly appointed president, Donald Kaberuka, could not say whether the institution has been approached for help by Zimbabwe.
He told a media conference there is an internal, ”performance-based” formula for allocating resources to a country, but could not say if Zimbabwe would qualify.
On Thursday, the Cabinet confirmed South Africa’s openness, in principle, to assist Zimbabwe — including a loan to cover that country’s International Monetary Fund debt.
The government took the approach that such assistance should benefit the Zimbabwean people as a whole, ”within the context of their programme of economic recovery and political normalisation”, spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe said.
Asked about conditions to be imposed on the help, he said: ”We do not believe in behaving like big brother.”
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has asked South Africa for $1-billion (R6,44-billion) to help relieve the country’s economic woes.
It owes the IMF about $900-million.
The United Nations last month criticised Harare’s urban slum-clearance campaign, which reportedly left about 700 000 people left homeless. — Sapa