South African President Jacob Zuma has arrived in neighbouring Zimbabwe for the first time since taking office in May in a bid to ease tensions in the country’s unity government. President Zuma was received by both Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mr Zuma holds the current chair of the Southern African Development Community, the body which helped broker the power-sharing deal six months ago between Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF and Mr Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Former South African president Thabo Mbeki played a major role in the February unity accord negotiations.

Earlier this month, President Zuma met PM Tsvangirai in Johannesburg to discuss continuing human rights abuses by Mr Mugabe’s supporters. The MDC leader also asked President Zuma to press President Mugabe for more democratic reforms in Zimbabwe. The MDC claims that its party’s supporters are still harassed by police, despite guarantees of political freedoms in February’s agreement.

The unity government has helped stabilise Zimbabwe’s shattered economy, which still relies heavily on South Africa, its main trading partner.
 

South African President Jacob Zuma