Southern Africa’s regional body SADC, in a thinly veiled criticism of Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, on Thursday urged all parties in power-sharing talks to respect commitments to negotiate a unity government. “We will be disappointed if the parties renege on their commitment,” Southern African Development Community official Tanki Mothae said in Gaborone, headquarters of the 15-nation bloc. The parties had agreed at a SADC summit on August 19 “that all Zimbabwe stakeholders should go and sit and finalise all outstanding issues, which will pave the way for establishing a stable and peaceful government,” Mothae said. He was speaking after Mugabe on Wednesday announced his intention to form a new government without the opposition, which said it would not participate in a cabinet formed before power-sharing talks are concluded. “All parties concerned must abide by all the agreements,” said Mothae, a retired army colonel who heads the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security. Government newspaper The Herald on Wednesday quoted Mugabe as saying: “We shall soon be setting up a government. The MDC does not want to come in apparently.” Zimbabwe’s political unrest has worsened an economic crisis which has seen widespread unemployment and inflation now officially at more than 11,2-million percent - while experts say it is even higher. The 84-year-old Mugabe lost to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the first round of the presidential election in March but was re-elected in a one-man run-off after Tsvangirai boycotted the poll alleging intimidation and violence. SADC mandated South African President Thabo Mbeki to mediate power-sharing talks, which have been stalled for over two weeks.

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