Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe said on Monday a new unity government would be formed by the end of the week, denying a deadlock in talks with the opposition over key ministries.
“We will be setting up government by the end of the week,” Mugabe said on his return from the United Nations general assembly meeting in New York.
“We never said there was a deadlock,” he said.
Earlier during the weekend the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) South African branch said the situation in Zimbabwe was “still hostile” and that they were dismayed by the South African department of home affair’s decision to withdraw asylum from Zimbabweans pending the implementation of the power sharing deal between Zanu-PF and the opposition party.
“We are receiving reports that Zimbabweans are being turned down by the Home Affairs simply because of the signing of the power sharing deal between Zanu PF and MDC,” party secretary in SA, Sibanengi Dube said.
He claimed that Zimbabweans who applied for extension periods of their asylum papers were turned away and some were deported.
“Morgan Tsvangirai is not yet in government with Zanu-PF, he is only the pre-minister designate. MDC does not have ministers serving in the Zimbabwe government,” said Dube.
He said the situation in Zimbabwe was still hostile.
“Torture camps run by the Zanu-PF are still operational and there is no concealment,” said Dube.
He urged the department to be “considerate”.
“We beg the department of home affairs to exercise sanity. We wish the department could desist from the habit of treating Zimbabweans as objects,” he said.
SAPA
