HARARE – A Southern African Development Community (SADC) security organ delegation currently reviewing implementation of Zimbabwe’s fragile power-sharing agreement is on Friday scheduled to meet the country’s feuding political leaders, President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

The team from the three-member SADC organ, also known as the Troika, will also meet diplomats accredited to Zimbabwe and representatives of a committee drawn from the coalition partners – Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC) – that was set up to monitor implementation of the global political agreement (GPA) that gave birth to country’s February unity government.

The SADC review mission comes after MDC-T leader Tsvangirai announced two weeks ago that his party would no longer attend Cabinet and was cutting all contact with Mugabe and his ZANU PF party until all outstanding issues to the GPA are resolved, plunging the unity government into its worst crisis since its formation in February.

The Troika mission to Harare, which is led by Mozambique’s Foreign Affairs Minister Oldemiro Baloi, includes Swazi Foreign Minister Lutho Dhlamini and Zambian Deputy Foreign Minister Fashion Phiri.

SADC executive secretary Tomaz Salamao and South African facilitators to the dialogue that led to the formation of the inclusive government, Frank Chikane and Monjaku Gumbi, are also part of the review team.

Salamao told reporters on Thursday that the issue of the MDC-T’s partial disengagement from the unity government will also be looked into.

On Thursday, the delegation met with Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara at his Munhumutapa offices after initially meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi.

The team also met with members of the MDC-T and ZANU PF.

The delegation is scheduled to issue its final assessment report later in the evening, before leaving Harare tomorrow (Saturday).

The SADC that brokered the power-sharing agreement between the Zimbabwean political leaders tasked its security organ to monitor the GPA.

Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s sole ruler since the country’s independence from Britain in 1980 and former opposition leader Tsvangirai remain deadlocked over key appointments while the MDC also accuses ZANU PF of engaging in a campaign to persecute its supporters.

At least 17 MDC legislators have been arrested since the beginning of the year on charges ranging from theft and public violence to rape and playing music that denigrates Mugabe.

ZANU PF, in turn, accuses the MDC of reneging on a promise to push for the removal of travel bans and an asset freeze slapped by the West on its senior officials.

Tsvangirai and Mugabe met on Monday but failed to reach agreement on the power-sharing dispute threatening the shaky coalition government.

The MDC has said in the event that the Troika failed to move the process end the wrangle threatening to collapse the coalition SADC should convene a full summit to discuss the Zimbabwe crisis.

By Zimonline