Jacob Zuma, the head of the African National Congress (ANC), called on Wednesday on a 15-nation regional bloc to pressure Zimbabwe’s rival leaders to clinch a deal on a unity government this weekend.
”I think SADC must put its pressure more strongly to these colleagues because what happens in Zimbabwe has an effect on the region,” Zuma said in an interview on public radio.
”I think the region should say to the Zimbabwe leaders that enough is enough. You must resolve this matter, you can’t leave South Africa without resolving this matter. That is what I am expecting.”
South Africa is to host an extraordinary summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on Sunday in an effort to break the deadlock over the formation of a government of national unity.
”I think they have deadlocked enough. They need to come here with a positive mind to be ready to compromise,” said Zuma, whose predecessor at the ANC, Thabo Mbeki, is still serving as SADC Zimbabwe mediator.
”Even if they compromise at this point in time … as long as it advances the interest of Zimbabweans, that is what we need.”
”That is what we are going to judge them with as to whether these are good leaders for the Zimbabwean people,” said the ANC leader, favourite to win the 2009 presidential election.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and his rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, on September 15 agreed in Harare on a power-sharing accord that divides the government ministries among them and would keep 84-year-old Mugabe as president and make Tsvangirai the prime minister.
Talks have been deadlocked over the distribution of ministries, especially the home affairs, which supervises the police.
Meanwhile, Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, has left Zimbabwe to travel to South Africa and the region, ahead of the summit, his party said Wednesday in a statement. — AFP
