Zim's pain is SA's too - Mbeki
03/04/2007 18:50  - (SA)  

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Pretoria - The pain felt by Zimbabweans is a pain that South Africans feel and it is South Africa's task to work together with Zimbabweans to resolve their problems, said President Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday.

He was addressing the national house of traditional healers in Pretoria.

Mbeki referred to the decision by the Zimbabwean ruling party, Zanu PF, that parliamentary and presidential elections would be held in March next year.

This meant all that was necessary had to be done to ensure that the elections would be free and fair and that the outcome would not be contested by anybody.

Will have to move quickly

"As facilitators, we have to move quickly to ensure that an agreement is reached between the ruling party and opposition parties and all other parties concerned, so they will be able to work together, so that the elections next year will be fair," said Mbeki.

Mbeki was given the task to mediate in the Zimbabwe political crisis by the Southern African Development Community last week.

Later in the day, Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi and the Rev Frank Chikane, director-general in the presidency, will meet two officials of the Zimbabwean opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) who are in South Africa.

Mbeki said the parties would engage on the MDC's view of "where they see Zimbabwe tomorrow".

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