Mbeki to visit Zimbabwe 'soon'

Thabo Mbeki: under pressure to intervene

Reports from Pretoria say South African President Thabo Mbeki will visit Zimbabwe in the near future, his second trip there in less than three months.

Presidential aide Parks Mankahlana said that while he was not sure of the exact date, a state visit was pending. Diplomatic circles have suggested it could take place on 3-6 May.

Mr Mankahlana that denied the presidential visit was a result of the worsening situation in Zimbabwe, saying it had been "on the cards for some time".

The South African Press Association quoted South African government officials as saying Pretoria would pursue "quiet diplomacy", rather than tackling President Mugabe head-on.

President Mbeki paid a brief visit to Zimbabwe in February for talks on economic co-operation ahead of Zimbabwe's referendum on a new constitution.

If voters had backed it, the changes would have allowed the government to confiscate white-owned land for redistribution to black farmers without compensation.

Mandela backs diplomacy

Former President Nelson Mandela told reporters in Johannesburg that any problems South Africa had with Zimbabwe should be discussed through diplomatic channels.

Mandela: 'Softly, softly'

"To my own experience, South Africa would be more effective if they dealt with the problem quietly," he said.

South African government officials have reportedly refused to comment on whether Pretoria would reconsider its position in the wake of the killings of a Zimbabwean farmer and two opposition party supporters.

But South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma told a meeting of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum in Cape Town that MPs should ask themselves whether they were defending their peoples' rights and freedoms and preventing the abuse and manipulation of power.

Political turmoil in any one country could impact on the region and the forum needed to discuss issues "frankly and in a brotherly way", he said.

Opposition calls for pressure

On Sunday, South Africa's opposition New National Party called on President Mbeki to put pressure on President Mugabe to end the escalating violence.

"The anarchy currently reigning in Zimbabwe must be placed at the door of President Robert Mugabe who still refuses to allow police to carry out the High Court ruling to stop farm invasions," party spokesman Manie Schoeman said.

Unless the situation was quickly diffused, South Africa would not escape the consequences since both sides of the conflict enjoyed South African support, he said.

And the opposition Democratic Party expressed concern over the possible impact of political unrest in the region on the South African tourist industry.

Press warns of consequences

The South African press has meanwhile been carrying extensive reports on the situation in Zimbabwe in recent days.

In a report headlined "'Intervention by neighbouring countries, Zim's only hope'", Beeld quoted Zimbabwe opposition groups as saying that "all that can still save Zimbabwe from total anarchy is the immediate intervention of other Southern African countries".

Diplomacy is appropriate for now [but] something more vocal and muscular may become necessary in the future"

Business Day

Business Day took a more circumspect line. Resolution of the crisis in Zimbabwe "is mainly for Zimbabweans", the paper said in an editorial.

"The role of foreigners is secondary. But SA [South Africa], Zimbabwe's neighbour and the regional power, as well as the UK, the former colonial power, both have a pressing interest in the health of the Zimbabwean economy.

"The basis of Mbeki's agenda must be to use his good offices to convince Mugabe to end the land invasions ...

"It is an ambitious agenda. The odds are against success. But failure is certain if diplomacy is conducted from a soapbox."

And the paper had another warning: "This kind of diplomacy is appropriate for now. Something more vocal and muscular may become necessary in the future if, for example, Mugabe or his generals fail to hold the scheduled election or refuse to accept an unfavourable outcome."

Zambia plays down parallels

In neighbouring Zambia, the government moved to reassure white farmers at the weekend.

Agriculture Minister Suresh Desai said the law on land ownership in Zambia would remain the same "and white farmers including new settlers should not fear that the government will repossess their land".

Desai said that the land disputes in Zimbabwe were tied to its political history and Zambia had no problems over its commercial land ownership, the Times of Zambia reported.

"Zambia has plenty of land that needs to be developed to enhance economic development," he said.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.