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PRETORIA: South African President Kgalema Motlanthe refused on Wednesday to join calls for Robert Mugabe to quit, expressing hope that Zimbabwe's stalled power-sharing agreement will be implemented this week.
Mugabe's regime has come under pressure from world powers to resign amid a deadlock between rival parties over a power-sharing deal, a growing cholera epidemic and economic ruin.
Asked how bad things had to get before neighboring South Africa joined the rising calls, Motlanthe told journalists: "It's really not for us."
Australia on Wednesday joined Britain, the United States, France and Canada in urging Mugabe to relinquish power after ruling the nation since independence in 1980.
"I mean I don't know if the British feel qualified to impose that on the people of Zimbabwe but we feel that we should really support and take our cue from what they (Zimbabweans) want," said Motlanthe.
He was speaking during the announcement of a regional campaign to raise funds to fight Zimbabwe's humanitarian crisis.
Australia announced it was tightening sanctions against Mugabe's regime by adding 75 individuals and four companies to a list facing financial and visa restrictions, while providing 670,000 US dollars in aid.
"The strengthened sanctions are a clear signal that the Australian government holds the brutal Mugabe regime and its closest supporters accountable for the tragedy occurring in Zimbabwe," foreign minister Stephen Smith said in a statement.
Motlanthe said South Africa stood by an agreement inked three months ago setting out a power-sharing arrangement between Mugabe and opposition rival Morgan Tsvangirai.
"We are hopeful that such an inclusive government will be put in place this week," Motlanthe told journalists a press conference in Pretoria.
While SADC has the power to put economic pressure on landlocked Zimbabwe it has failed to do so, retaining its faith in former South African president Thabo Mbeki to mediate a settlement - despite several opposition calls for him to be removed.
Botswana is the only country in the region to criticize the former liberation hero, and South Africa has often been under fire for its policy of quiet diplomacy against Mugabe.
Since opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai failed to win a majority in March elections, and pulled out of a run-off citing violence against his supporters, the country has virtually collapsed sending million of Zimbabweans across South Africa's borders.
A unity government was agreed to in a deal signed three months ago, but parties have been deadlocked ever since over key issues, the main one being the allocation of key ministries.
A draft constitutional amendment was published in an official gazette on Saturday, paving the way for a unity government by creating the post of prime minister for Tsvangirai.
Motlanthe said the power-sharing deal "states that once the amendment is gazetted, such a government can be formed almost immediately.
"And once it is in place, we believe it will create the possibility of dealing with the real problems."
The draft gives Mugabe power to swear in Tsvangirai before the amendment is passed by parliament, and Motlanthe said on Saturday he expected the prime minister to be sworn in "with immediate effect".
However, parties remained cautious, with the opposition MDC saying key issues could still derail the agreement while Mugabe threatened fresh elections if rivals could not agree on the power-sharing disputes.
In addition to the political crisis, Zimbabwe, once a role model economy in Africa, is facing inflation of around 231 million percent while a cholera outbreak has killed nearly 1,000 people.
Motlanthe announced that the Southern African Development Community was launching an "urgent international campaign" to assist Zimbabwe to deal with a cholera outbreak.
"Zimbabwe is facing serious humanitarian challenges characterised by acute food shortages and the recent outbreak of cholera," he said.
Motlanthe said all countries in the 15-member bloc were expected to contribute to the campaign with their available resources.
- AFP/so
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