Mbeki 'not man for Zim job'
2008-04-17 12:07
Special Report
Botswana President Ian Khama has accused Zimbabwe's long-time leader Robert Mugabe of failing to honour a power sharing deal and called for fresh elections in the country.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe says he doesn't expect the US sanctions on his country to be lifted soon.
Troye Lund
Cape Town - The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions says that the ZCTU is of the view that Thabo Mbeki is no longer a suitable person to mediate in the Zimbabwean crisis.
In a statement released on Thursday, the ZCTU said: "We would prefer a situation where a retired African president takes up the role to persuade Mugabe to step down."
Meanwhile, Cabinet has called on Zimbawe to release the results to its March 29 election.
"South Africa, like the rest of the world, is concerned about the delay in the release of results and the anxiety that this is generating," said government spokesperson Themba Maseko during a report back on the Cabinet meeting in Tshwane.
Maseko said that government would do all it could to interact impartially with all relevant players in Zimbabwe to ensure the election process was brought to a speedy conclusion.
"This will set the stage for political stability and economic recovery that Zimbabweans and, indeed, their neighbours yearn for," he said.
In a Cabinet statement, President Thabo Mbeki's ministers, did, however, "acknowledge and welcome" the role Mbeki had played in facilitating talks between the ruling Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change.
These talks laid a firm foundation for Zimbabweans to elect leaders of their choice in a process that was transparent," said Maseko.
- Fin24.com
- Finance24