The current political turmoil in Zimbabwe was likely to dominate the upcoming official visits to Britain and the United States by South African President Thabo Mbeki, officials said on Tuesday.
Although the president’s office said that the official reason for the trip to Britain was to attend a session with Prime Minister Tony Blair the South African-British bilateral commission, Foreign Affairs Director General Sipho Pityana said that the Mbeki was “likely” to use the opportunity to press Britain to “payroll an end to the land crisis”.
Pityana said that Mbeki would ask the US government to contribute towards land reform in Zimbabwe. He warned that the US and Britain should not expect Mbeki to resolve the issue of land occupations. “He can’t force people to live up to agreements, but he can persuade them to do so,” Pityana added.
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