Former president. Thabo Mbeki held separate talks with President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe as well as Nelson Chamisa, leader of the MDC Alliance.
Mbeki was also scheduled to visit Grace Mugabe, the former president’s wife, on Tuesday and to meet with other members of the opposition.
ZimLive reported that Mbeki had been invited to Zimbabwe by Mnangagwa a while ago, but that he could only visit now.
The MDC has refused to recognize Mnangagwa as the country’s legal leader since being elected president in July 2018.
According to state-run “The Herald”, after his meeting with Mnangagwa, Mbeki said he was prepared to help Zimbabwe with the challenges facing the country.
Mbeki said the newspaper said the Southern African Development Community (SADC) should follow through on its resolution to lift sanctions against Zimbabwe.
It is important for political parties to respect the will of the people in electoral processes and grievances must be dealt with through the legal system, he said.
Mbeki also acted as a mediator between the former president after the election in 2008. Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, then MDC leader, acted as a leader of a national unity government.
Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise reiterated South Africa’s position last weekend that sanctions should be lifted against Zimbabwe.
She supported a motion by Josefina Perpétua Pitra Diakité, an Angola MP, for the lifting of economic sanctions against Zimbabwe on Sunday at the SADC’s 46th session in Swakopmund, Namibia.
