South African mediators are expected to meet negotiators from Zimbabwe’s squabbling coalition partners on Monday ahead of resumption of talks to resolve a raft of differences and outstanding issues threatening the stability of the Harare unity government. The mediators appointed by President Jacob Zuma to facilitate in the Zimbabwe dialogue are understood to have requested to meet negotiators from President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) party, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T and Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara’s MDC-M party, who resume talks that insiders had said were likely to end in deadlock once more. Zuma is the Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s mediator in Zimbabwe. It was not immediately clear whether the expected arrival of his representatives in Harare enhances chances of negotiators making an unlikely breakthrough when they meet later today.

 

Civil servants yesterday declared a nationwide strike demanding a minimum salary of US$630 per month. The strike is with immediate effect and comes after a meeting between civil servants' representatives and the Government ended in deadlock yesterday evening. The civil service strike, which had already been declared before the meeting, is the first since the 1990s. Government yesterday offered a minimum salary of US$137 and a top proposal of US$248 backdated to January.

 

Botswana this week recalled two senior diplomats based in Zimbabwe as the diplomatic row over three Batswana rangers arrested for entering Zimbabwe illegally escalated. The government of Botswana said it would recall its defence and intelligence attaches by the end of the month and asked that Harare withdraw its defence and Central Intelligence Organization personnel from its Gaborone embassy by the same date. The wildlife officials were picked up three weeks ago after ‘inadvertently’ straying into Zimbabwe as they were tracking lions that had killed some cattle in Lesoma village on the Botswana/Zimbabwean border. Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe snubbed Botswana’s vice President Lt Gen Mompati Merafhe when he sought a meeting with him at a recent African Union summit in Addis Ababa. Merafhe wanted to propose a diplomatic solution to the bilateral security issue.

 

Zimbabwe's Co-ministers of Home Affairs have urged thousands of Zimbabweans living in neighbouring South Africa to return home and said police were willing to consider dropping some charges against political activists. Addressing a gathering last Saturday in Sandton, Kembo Mohadi and Giles Mutsekwa said exiled Zimbabweans, among them some of the country’s most skilled business and financial technocrats, should return to help in the reconstruction of the country’s economy. "The Zimbabwe inclusive government is ready to drop all charges against political activists and specified business people, who are currently living outside the country. It is time to rebuild our nation," said Mohadi, a member of President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party. Mutsekwa, from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party, said the unity government was working to improve the country’s economy that is showing signs of recovery after a decade in recession.