New Zimbabwe government 'to be set up in February'
A new Zimbabwean government could be set up by the end of next month
Monday, 05, Jan 2009 06:50
A new Zimbabwean government could be set up by the end of next month, local media reports suggest.
The state-run Herald Online claims an official from the ruling Zanu-PF party met with South African facilitators in Musina on Saturday to discuss the formation of the new government.
Nicholas Goche apparently met with former South Africa president Thabo Mbeki's facilitation team to discuss the best ways of proceeding in the coming weeks.
The South African Development Community (SADC) appointed Mr Mbeki last year to help form a new government in Zimbabwe and break the current political deadlock.
"Sources close to developments said a government was most likely to be in place by the end of February," The Herald Online reports.
"[Mr] Goche met the South Africans on Saturday as part of the drive to ensure that this chapter is closed once and for all so that Zimbabweans can move forward," the paper quoted a local source as saying.
Zimbabwe has been in political deadlock since March last year when opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of the presidential run-off against Mr Mugabe due to allegedly violence aimed at his supporters.
Since then agreements have been made to form a power-sharing government. However, both the Zanu-PF and Movement for Democratic Change parties have failed to agree on the set-up of the new cabinet.