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15 September 2008

Pretoria: South African President Thabo Mbeki, supported by Ministers Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Sydney Mufamadi and members of the facilitation team will on Monday, 15 September depart for the signing ceremony of the power-sharing agreement in Harare, Zimbabwe.

President Mbeki's visit to Harare comes within the context of the recently concluded historic agreement between Zimbabwe's main political protagonists Zanu-PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara respectively.

The signing of the power-sharing agreement will be witnessed by a number of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU) and other international dignitaries.

In this regard, the South African Government has noted that while this is cause for celebration, we remain all too aware this historic milestone constitutes but the end of the beginning. Africa has once more demonstrated its capacity to solve its problems.

Accordingly, the sister peoples of Zimbabwe can rest assured of the support of the people of South Africa, SADC, Africa and the progressive humankind the world over as they take on the steps towards reconciliation, reconstruction and nation building.

We remain convinced that none but people of Zimbabwe, acting with the support of the international community is to provide the requisite support to the people of Zimbabwe as they strike out along this new road.

Visit to the Sudan

Upon conclusion of the signing of the historic agreement in Zimbabwe, President Mbeki will proceed to the Sudan where he will hold political consultations with the leadership of the Sudan both in the North and the South. In this regard, President Mbeki will meet with Sudanese President Omar El Bashir and Sudanese Vice President and President of South Sudan Salva Kirr.

South Africa is the current Chair of the African Union's Post-Conflict and Reconstruction of the Sudan. In pursuance of this AU mandate, South Africa holds regular consultations with the leadership of the Sudan to be appraised of progress on a number of fronts.

In this regard, President Mbeki visited Sudan last year and received both President El Bashir and Vice President and President of the South Sudan Salva Kirr in South Africa. Accordingly, the visit will provide President Mbeki and his delegation with an excellent opportunity to be briefed of progress regarding the North-South dialogue as well as the peace and security situation in the whole of Sudan.

Contact:
Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853

Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
15 September 2008
Source: Department of Foreign Affairs (http://www.dfa.gov.za)