Harare: South African President Jacob Zuma travels to Zimbabwe on Thursday in a bid to ease tensions within the strained unity government, though analysts held out little hope for a breakthrough.
During his two-day visit, Zuma is set to meet with long-ruling President Robert Mugabe and his new partner in government, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
The former rivals formed a unity government in February but remain deadlocked notably over the appointment of the central bank chief and the attorney general.
Tsvangirai`s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) also says the party`s supporters are still harassed by police, despite guarantees of political freedoms in the unity accord.
"We hope that his visit will unlock and unblock the political logjam in our country," said Nelson Chamisa, spokesman for Tsvangirai`s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
"We are very optimistic that he will make the best out of his visit."
Mugabe`s spokesman George Charamba has downplayed the trip, telling state media that Zuma was coming to address the Harare Agricultural Fair tomorrow.
But Zuma plans to be vocal about Zimbabwe`s problems, in contrast to the "quiet diplomacy" of his predecessor Thabo Mbeki, the secretary general of his African National Congress (ANC) told reporters.
Bureau Report
