Situation in Zim may 'implode'
2008-11-24 21:59
Special Report
A classical music presenter for the BBC has been arrested and is in custody in Zimbabwe.
Johannesburg - President Kgalema Motlanthe warned on Monday that the situation in neighbouring Zimbabwe "may implode and collapse" and announced a new round of talks to help resolve the crisis.
The comments - some of the strongest yet by South Africa - came as a cholera epidemic which has killed hundreds of Zimbabweans, spilled across the border into South Africa.
Officials say Zimbabwe's political and economic collapse caused the outbreak.
In the border town of Musina, about 230 Zimbabweans are said to apply for asylum permits every day.
Motlanthe and ANC leader Jacob Zuma expressed grave concern at Zimbabwe's deepening humanitarian crisis.
"Unless this root cause of the political absence of a legitimate government is solved, the situation will get worse and may implode and collapse," Motlanthe said.
Mediation talks to resume
The South African President had earlier held talks with The Elders, a group created by former president Nelson Mandela to foster peace.
Zimbabwe has been in political deadlock since Tsvangirai won the most votes in the March presidential election but not enough to avoid a run-off.
Mugabe, who has been in power since independence in 1980, claimed victory in the June run-off after Tsvangirai dropped out over violence aimed at his supporters.
The two agreed in September to share power, but the talks have stalled over the allocation of Cabinet posts, with the opposition accusing Mugabe of trying to hold onto key positions.
Mediation led by former president Thabo Mbeki will resume on Tuesday in South Africa and centre on a constitutional amendment to allow a power-sharing government, Motlanthe said.
'We've got act now'
Zuma said that a team would be sent "soon" to Zimbabwe.
"The situation has just gone beyond a situation where we can say 'let us wait and see'. We have got to act and act now."
Zuma said The Elders delegation - former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, ex-US president Jimmy Carter and rights advocate Graca Machel - believed the situation in Zimbabwe was "very bad".
"They believe that things could collapse."
The two men spoke after separate meetings with Annan, Carter and Machel, who were barred from carrying out a humanitarian mission to Zimbabwe over the weekend.
The three said on Saturday they were denied visas to assess the needs of Zimbabweans, many of whom are suffering from hunger and disease.
The health system has collapsed and a cholera outbreak has killed nearly 300 people in Zimbabwe, the United Nations said.
Zuma criticised Mugabe for refusing help from the three.
"I think it is an unfortunate act by the Zimbabwe government. It does give an unfortunate picture," he said.
The Elders have insisted their visit was not related to Zimbabwe's political impasse, but aimed at addressing the needs of its people.
But both South African leaders agreed it is difficult to separate the two.
Mugabe ignored call
"These are two sides of the same coin and we need to deal with them simultaneously with the urgency they deserve," Motlanthe said.
He said he had tried to obtain visas for The Elders, but that Mugabe did not return his telephone call.
Annan said Zimbabwe gave no official reason for refusing them visas.
But the government-controlled Sunday Mail quoted Foreign Minister Samuel Mumbengegwi as saying Annan had failed to consult with the government beforehand on the "timing and programme" of the visit.
The Elders spent the weekend in South Africa meeting regional leaders, aid agencies and Zimbabwean civil society leaders.
- AP