Pretoria — Government says it is currently involved in the SADC-led Zimbabwe humanitarian assistance programme and is providing essential agricultural support to address the dire food shortage in that country.

In a statement issued by the Presidency on Tuesday, government says it is hoped the agricultural assistance will help circumvent a dire food security situation as well as other humanitarian needs in Zimbabwe.

It is targeted at providing short season grains, grown largely by communal farmers.

This follows media reports regarding whether South Africa had reversed its decision to withhold the humanitarian assistance until a unity government had been set up in that country.

Zimbabwe is currently battling to contain a cholera epidemic which has already claimed over 1100 lives, with thousands more suspected to be infected with the disease, as well as a collapsed infrastructure leading to a further humanitarian situation.

The negotiations regarding the establishment of a unity government have stalled due to disagreements on the allocation of key ministries, including Home Affairs.

Following a Cabinet decision on 4 December, President Kgalema Motlanthe consulted with various Cabinet ministers and the SADC to establish a non-partisan coordination mechanism, called the Zimbabwe Humanitarian and Development Assistance Framework (ZHDAF), with other countries in the region and non-governmental organisations.

At the time, Government Spokesperson Themba Maseko said government was extremely concerned about the reported food shortages in that country.

"Our primary objective is to save innocent lives in that country. We will continue to monitor the situation very closely and we will keep South Africans informed about what we are doing to reduce the burden that many South Africans, especially in cities bordering Zimbabwe, are already experiencing," said Mr Maseko.

Thereafter a meeting was convened by SADC in Harare on 21 December to establish the non-partisan co-ordination mechanism where modalities to provide agricultural and humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe was discussed.

"The R300 million agricultural assistance package announced in September was conditional on the formation of an inclusive government to ensure that the assistance reached the intended beneficiaries.

"In light of the delays, the worsening food shortage and in accordance with the requirements set out by Cabinet on 4 December, South Africa committed, in particular through the non-partisan co-ordination mechanism (ZHDAF), to provide humanitarian assistance including essential agricultural inputs," said the statement.

However, government said it remained committed to the establishment of an inclusive government as provided in the Global Political Agreement signed in September.