Zimbabwe elections negotiations set to resume

ZIMBABWE'S political party negotiators are expected to resume talks  to finalise timelines and other specific details on elections.

A crucial elections roadmap to guide the country towards free and fair polls in line will be drawn with the resolution of the recent Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Sandton, Johannesburg.

Election roadmap talks are set to resume tomorrow or during the course of the week to complete the roadmap ahead of SADC's coming summit next month in Luanda, Angola.

Negotiators, who include Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche for Zanu-PF, Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma for MDC-T and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga and Moses Mzila Ndlovu for MDC-N, are expected to meet on their own without South African facilitators.

South African President Jacob Zuma is SADC's facilitator on Zimbabwe. Zuma's emissaries on Zimbabwe include Charles Nqakula, his political adviser, Mac Maharaj, his special envoy, and Lindiwe Zulu, his international relations adviser.

The three have been involved in negotiations and conflict-resolution in Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and South Africa itself.

Biti confirmed negotiators could meet tomorrow to finalise the elections roadmap.

The recent Sandton summit, which noted Zuma's controversial Livingstone report, updates on it and other tough measures on the Zimbabwe situation, resolved that negotiators must meet as soon as possible to put timelines and other necessary details on the election roadmap.