Nairobi — South African President Jacob Zuma is expected in Zimbabwe next week to douse flames in the country's coalition government amid intensifying arrests of legislators from the former opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
Ten MPs from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party were detained on Wednesday for allegedly causing disturbances at Finance Ministry offices.
The legislators had gone to Finance Minister Mr Tendai Biti's office to make enquiries about their cars, which they are entitled to under a parliamentary loan scheme.
Mr Biti is also the secretary general for the MDC that accuses President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF of trying to reduce its majority in parliament through trumped up criminal charges against its MPs.
Several MDC legislators have been arrested over petty crimes in recent months, prompting Mr Tsvangirai to call for Mr Zuma's intervention to solve the problems that threaten to derail the seven month old unity government.
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Mr Zuma is the current chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which along the African Union (AU) are guarantors of Zimbabwe's September 15 power sharing agreement.
Zimbabwe's crisis is also expected to dominate the SADC annual summit set for the Democratic of Congo early next month.
President Robert Mugabe's spokesman Mr George Charamba confirmed Mr Zuma's visit but sought to downplay his mission.
He claimed the visit had nothing to do with resolving "outstanding issues in the Global Political Agreement as speculated by foreign media houses who continuously report that the South African leader was going to get tough with Zanu PF."
"President Jacob Zuma is coming here to officially open the Harare Agricultural Show and not to resolve the MDC issues," Mr Charamba told the state controlled Herald.
It is not clear when Mr Zuma will arrive in Zimbabwe but the show opens on Monday.
The MDC has accused Mr Mugabe and Zanu PF of flouting provisions of the political agreement.
Zimbabwe's long serving ruler is also blamed for delays in the implementation of key political reforms promised in the GPA.
However, last week Zanu PF accused MDC formations of failing to act on any of its commitments in the agreement that led to the formation of the inclusive government.
The former sole ruling party says the MDC must call for the lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe and the closure of pirate radio stations.
But the MDC says it has no power to call for the lifting of the sanctions targeted at Mr Mugabe and his inner circle because the travel restrictions are a matter between Zanu PF and the Western governments.
Mr Mugabe formed the unity government with his former arch rivals in February following intense pressure from neighbours who were fast losing patience over Zimbabwe's long running political and economic crisis.
Meanwhile, Mr Biti said he was also not aware why legislators from his party were arrested.
"I would also want to know why they have been taken by the police," he said.
"I do not know and he (Permanent Secretary for Finance Mr Willard Manungo) does not know who called the police and what the issue is about."
Police refused to comment on the matter.
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