Johannesburg — A WEEK after taking office, Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is leading a mission to SA today for "urgent" talks with President Kgalema Motlanthe on a $1bn (R10bn) assistance package to revive that country's shattered economy.

Tsvangirai is also expected to discuss the continued detention of a senior member of his party, Roy Bennett, who was arrested last Friday, and several other members of his Movement for Democratic Change who have not been released despite the formation of a unity government with President Robert Mugabe's Zanu (PF).

Tsvangirai is also expected to ask Motlanthe, as chairman of the Southern African Development Community, to pressure Mugabe for their release.

Tsvangirai will be accompanied by Zimbabwe's Finance Minister Tendai Biti and Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi.

Central bank governor Gideon Gono, the architect of most of the disastrous monetary policies that have led to the collapse of the currency and economy, would not be at the meeting because of infighting in the week-old unity government.

Finance Minister Trevor Manuel and Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini- Zuma would be part of the meeting where the proposed $1bn aid package, to be facilitated by SA through the African Development Bank, would be discussed.

A similar aid package was proposed by former president Thabo Mbeki three years ago, on condition that there be political and economic reform in Harare. That deal collapsed when Mugabe rejected the conditions.

The meeting comes ahead of the first official visit to SA by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon who will discuss Zimbabwe, among other issues, with Motlanthe.

Foreign affairs director-general Ayanda Ntsaluba said today's meeting had been requested by Tsvangirai, and that Motlanthe was likely to brief Ban on today's discussions.

Sources yesterday said that Tsvangirai believed that if he was successful in leveraging further assistance from SA, it would provide a confidence booster and would help him raise more money from other donor countries. Last year SA provided R300m for agricultural assistance.

Harare faces a bill of more than $1bn for outstanding payments for local and international obligations such as fuel imports, electricity, short-term loans to foreign governments, the propping up of parastatals and payment to public servants.

This week Biti authorised special allowances for public servants, including soldiers, in US dollars, which ran up a bill of $30m.

Biti has not disclosed the source of the funds that he has used to make the special payments -- a move that has outraged the central bank.

It is understood that there is serious tension between Biti and Gono as Biti -- having spent just one week as finance minister -- has already tried to make radical changes.

This week Biti took measures to review and reverse Gono's policies in an effort to revive the collapsed economy and mark a radical change from old policies.

The reasons for the conflict include payment of public servants in US dollars, the licensing of traders to sell in foreign currenc y, giving new operational guidelines to the stock exchange and directives to banks to facilitate payment of public servants -- all of which the central bank is opposed to.

Tsvangirai and Biti lobbied for Gono's removal, but Mugabe has defended him, creating a potentially explosive situation.

Until recently the banks had limited permission to open foreign currency accounts for the public, but Biti has directed them to open foreign exchange accounts for at least 250000 public servants who were paid $100 allowances this week. Indications are public servants would again be paid in foreign currency.

With Hopewell Radebe