HARARE - A special summit of southern Africa’s regional body Sadc called on President Jacob Zuma to immediately help resolve disagreements over a new Zimbabwe constitution threatening to disrupt a roadmap to a fresh election.

Zuma — Sadc’s point man in the Zimbabwe dialogue — tabled a progress report on the constitution reform process at the Tanzania summit last weekend.

Tanzania is the current chair of the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, while South Africa and Namibia also make up the troika.

Zuma tabled the report at the Sadc Troika summit two weeks after his facilitators concluded a meeting with negotiators from the three parties in the Zimbabwe coalition.

Lindiwe Zulu, Zuma’s international relations advisor, told the Daily News yesterday that the two-day extraordinary Sadc summit — called to discuss the DRC conflict, Zimbabwe crisis and Madagascar conflict — asked the South African leader to help Zimbabwean principals conclude the constitution-making process, hold a referendum and implement electoral reforms before the next harmonised elections.

“President Jacob Zuma tabled a progress report in line with the Maputo resolution to the heads of state in relation to the constitution where there has been progress or where there has been no progress,” Zulu said.

“With regards to the deadlock, they urged Zuma to assist the parties to break the deadlock.

Heads of state urged Zuma to assist the Zimbabwe principals, and considered the fact that the GPA ends somewhere, and encouraged parties to complete the constitution and put it to referendum before election.

Zuma was urged to assist and ensure the GPA is implemented.” - Gift Phiri, Politics Editor