HARARE – President Jacob Zuma is hoping Zimbabwe’s three governing parties will have resolved all outstanding differences holding back their coalition by year-end, a senior South African official said on Sunday.

Zuma is the Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s mediator in Zimbabwe and he will present a report on the Harare coalition to the bloc’s annual summit opening in Windhoek, Namibia today.

In a statement ahead of the summit, South African department of international relations and co-operation spokesman Saul Molobi said:

"The inclusive government in Zimbabwe is making some progress on the implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) under the mediation of South Africa, with most outstanding issues such as the appointment of Governors and Attorney-General already dealt with.

"Nevertheless, discussions are ongoing and it is hoped that there will be further positive results by the end of this year.”

Last week, a senior South African foreign affairs official said Zuma would in his report tell regional leaders that the unity government between President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC was on the “correct path”.

In addition to discussing Zuma’s report on the troubled Harare coalition, the summit will also discuss Harare’s refusal to adhere to rulings by the bloc’s human rights court or tribunal.

Mugabe, Tsvangirai, and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, who heads a smaller breakaway MDC formation, are expected to attend the summit.

The three Zimbabwean principals have through Zuma’s mediation reached common position on most of issues they had initially differed on, but remain worlds apart on the question of key government appointments and the pace of democratic reforms.

There is also disagreement over the appointment of Tsvangirai ally Roy Bennett to the post of deputy agriculture minister, which Mugabe has resisted insisting the MDC treasurer general must be first be cleared of treason before he can join Cabinet.

Mugabe refuses to fire Gideon Gono and Johannes Tomana, two top allies he unilaterally appointed to the key posts of central bank governor and attorney general respectively in breach of the power-sharing agreement that says he must consult Tsvangirai before making such appointments.

Both Mugabe and Tsvangirai have in recent weeks urged supporters to prepare for new elections with the former, who is empowered to call elections, adding that Zimbabwe will have to go to polls whether an ongoing exercise to draft a new constitution that will ensure free and fair election flops or succeeds.

By Zimonline