Pretoria - South Africa is committed to working with all the parties and to do everything possible to resolve the situation in Zimbabwe ahead of its scheduled presidential run-off elections on Friday.

“South African government will do everything in its power and within the framework of the SADC facilitation process to assist the people of Zimbabwe to find a lasting solution to their current political challenges,” Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad said on Wednesday.

Briefing reporters at the Union Buildings, he said there must be increased efforts to get the two main players [President Robert Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai] to meet.

Reinstating President Thabo Mbeki’s comment over the weekend, Mr Pahad said that the Zimbabwean leadership would still be open to a process that would result in them coming to some agreement about what happens to their country.

“South Africa will continue with its efforts to encourage the political leadership of Zimbabwe to urgently interact among themselves to find a lasting solution to the current impasse.”

On whether South Africa would recognise the election set to take place on Friday, Mr Pahad said that was a decision to be taken by the Zimbabweans.

"We will leave it to the Zimbabweans to determine that,” Mr Pahad said.

For clarity on the situation, Mr Pahad indicated that the MDC's leader, Mr Tsvangirai would host a media briefing that would give clarity on the situation in Zimbabwe.

On Tuesday President Mugabe's government vowed to go ahead with a presidential run-off election on Friday despite the withdrawal of opposition candidate Mr Tsvangirai, citing political violence against his supporters.

Mr Tsvangirai, who is reported to be in the Dutch embassy in Harare, pulled out of the run-off election, by sending an official letter to the electoral commission Tuesday.

The opposition pull-out has laid out a possible victory by default for veteran leader President Mugabe, in power since 1980.

With regard to the violence, Mr Pahad continued that South Africa has joined the international community in expressing regret at the continuing violence and intimidation that has led to the loss of lives and destruction of property in the run-up to the 27 June elections in Zimbabwe, continued the department.

On military intervention, the deputy foreign minister did not believe there is a need.

"In our experience it is easy to talk about military action but putting it into effect is much more difficult," Mr Pahad told the media, adding that: "We do not believe there is any need for it in Zimbabwe. It is not realistic -not possible."

Meanwhile, media reports indicate that some Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries have started an emergency meeting in Mbabane to discuss the political crisis in Zimbabwe.



The meeting, which was to begin at 10am on Wednesday, would be attended by members of the troika - Tanzania's president Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete and either Angola's President Jose Eduardo dos Santos or Prime Minister Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, and would be chaired by Swaziland's King Mswati III.

"The meeting will discuss how the SADC and its troika organ on politics defence and security can help Zimbabwe to get out of its current state of conflict,” according to a SADC statement.

On whether SADC mediator President Mbeki would attend the meeting, Presidential spokesperson Mukoni Ratshitanga told BuaNews that leader would not be going to Mbabane
because had not been invited as he was not a member of the troika.

Mr Ratshitanga said President Mbeki would be in a Cabinet meeting in Cape Town on Wednesday, and as far as he knew, the President had no scheduled meetings with representatives of Zimbabwe's Zanu-PF or the MDC.

"We have never received an invitation to attend the meeting. Of course you would need an invitation to attend a meeting of an organ that you are not a member of,” Mr Ratshitanga told BuaNews.

President Mbeki was mandated by the SADC to facilitate talks between the opposition leader and current President Mugabe.

The United Nations Security Council has welcomed international efforts including the SADC-facilitation process led by President Mbeki to help the people of Zimbabwe to find a peaceful way forward, through dialogue between the parties to find a lasting solution to their current political challenges. – BuaNews