Zuma bid to ease Zimbabwe tension

Harare, 16 March-(ANA)-South African President Jacob Zuma is due to land in Zimbabwe for a three-day trip, aiming to ease tensions within the fragile power-sharing government.

It is thought Mr Zuma will assess the country's readiness for an election, which could take place next year.

President Robert Mugabe and old rival Morgan Tsvangirai, now Prime Minister, united in government a year ago.

But they remain at odds over several key issues and have struggled to turn around Zimbabwe's battered economy.

The crisis in their country has forced some three million Zimbabweans to flee across the border to South Africa, where they live as refugees.

When regional bloc Sadc appointed Mr Zuma as its chief mediator on Zimbabwe in 2009, Mr Mugabe's critics hoped he would take a tougher line on Zimbabwe's president than his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki.

But there has been little public evidence of a different approach to Mr Mbeki's policy of "quiet diplomacy".

On a recent visit to the UK, Mr Zuma tried unsuccessfully to have Zimbabwe sanctions eased.(ANA)

FA/ANA/16 March 2010-------