SADC Encouraged By Response in Zimbabwe, Says Mbeki

South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) had been encouraged by the calm and mature way in which the parties in Zimbabwe accepted the parliamentary results, and hoped that the same spirit would prevail should there be a rerun of the presidential election.

This was the first time since the elections on Saturday that Mbeki, who facilitated talks ahead of the polls, had commented on events north of the border.

Addressing the media after the bi-national commission between South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo in Pretoria, Mbeki said he had discussed Zimbabwe with his Congolese counterpart, Joseph Kabila, and they expressed optimism about the country’s future.

“We are all waiting for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to announce the last results of the Senate, municipal and the presidential one,” he said.

Mbeki said that although the Movement for Democratic Change insisted its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, had won the crucial presidential vote, Tsvangirai told him Thursday he would abide by the ZEC’s results and contest a second round vote.

Source African Press Agency

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