Zimbabwe government 'this week'

Months of power-sharing talks have not broken the deadlock

South Africa's leader has said he believes the deadlock over Zimbabwe's power-sharing deal has been resolved.

"We are hopeful that such an inclusive government will be put in place this week," Kgalema Motlanthe said.

He added that the regional body, Sadc, was launching an urgent aid appeal to deal with Zimbabwe's cholera crisis.

More than 18,000 people have developed the disease and aid agencies are warning that with heavy rains further infections are set to rise.

Meanwhile Australia added its voice on Wednesday to international calls for President Robert Mugabe to stand down as it tightened sanctions against his government.

Canberra added 75 individuals and four firms in Zimbabwe to a blacklist of financial and visa restrictions.

In pictures: In a time of cholera

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the measures were "a clear signal the Australian government holds the brutal Mugabe regime and its closest supporters accountable for the tragedy occurring in Zimbabwe".

After disputed presidential elections in March, President Mugabe's Zanu-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) agreed to form a power-sharing government.

But implementation of that agreement, reached in September, has been dogged by disagreements over whose supporters would get key ministries.

Months of negotiations brokered by former South African President Thabo Mbeki on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) have failed to break the deadlock.

Earlier, the UK think tank International Crisis Group suggested that both Mr Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai should step aside to end the "hopelessly deadlocked" talks.

This could allow a transitional administration to implement political and economic reforms, it said.

The proposal would also give the president and his generals immunity from prosecution.

But BBC Africa analyst Martin Plaut says it is unlikely either side would take up such an idea.

'Tip of the iceberg'

President Motlanthe told journalists in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, that he would not join calls for Mr Mugabe to step down.

Maybe the president knows something we don't know, but we are not aware of any plans to form a government this week MDC's Nelson Chamisa Failing nation: reporter round-up

African countries like Botswana and Kenya have called for Mr Mugabe to go to end the political turmoil.

But the South African leader said the power-sharing deal was about to be implemented, which would see Mr Mugabe stay on as president and Mr Tsvangirai become prime minster.

However, the MDC told Reuters news agency it knew nothing about any imminent breakthrough.

"Maybe the president knows something we don't know, but we are not aware of any plans to form a government this week. It's certainly news to us because the outstanding issues we have outlined remain," MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said.

Nigeria's foreign minister is pressed on Zimbabwe

Nigeria's Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe told the BBC's HardTalk programme that while Nigeria shared the "moral outrage" about Zimbabwe, the best way to move forward was to "insist" both sides honour the power-sharing deal.

President Motlanthe said the Sadc appeal was being launched "for the people of Zimbabwe in order to help them overcome the challenges facing their country".

Correspondents say the Sadc campaign has two key components:

• The first is an international appeal to mobilise funds and resources to help the people of Zimbabwe
• The second addresses a key concern of donors: Making food distribution non-partisan, as Mr Mugabe's government has often used aid as a political tool

The BBC's Karen Allen, who recently travelled to Zimbabwe, says nine out of the country's 10 provinces have reported cases of cholera.

The epidemic has so far claimed nearly 1,000 lives, but the official figure of infections could be just the tip of the iceberg, she says.

In Mashonaland - where Mr Mugabe's party commands some support, she found patients with the disease housed in makeshift clinics.

Drugs were in short supply, clean water was scarce and many young children had succumbed to the disease - dying of dehydration in just a matter of days.

Our reporter says cholera is a potent symbol of Zimbabwe's steady collapse.

Piles of burning rubbish in the streets of the capital, Harare, and burst pipes spewing filthy water are now a common sight here, she says.

Last week, Mr Mugabe maintained his country had contained the cholera outbreak.