Harare — A SOUTHERN African Development Community (Sadc) ministerial team that assessed the implementation of Zimbabwe's troubled power-sharing arrangement recommended that Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono should be reassigned to save the coalition government from collapse.

The recommendations by the brokers of last year's Global Political Agreement (GPA) were given to the members of the Sadc troika on politics, defence and security who met in Mozambique on November 5 to deal with the Zimbabwe crisis.

They also set the tone for the negotiations between the three coalition partners, Zanu PF and the two MDC formations due to start this week as directed by the mini Sadc summit.

The ministers from Swaziland, Zambia and Mozambique who met separately with President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara and several other stakeholders between October 29 and 30 identified Gono's continued stay at the RBZ as one of the biggest threats to the unity government.

The ministers said: "The governor of the Reserve Bank should be assigned to another position as a way of conversion."

Zanu PF had told the assessment team that Gono's tenure was not an outstanding issue as claimed by the MDC-T because his post was not included in the GPA.

But Sadc heads of state who met in South Africa on January 27 and convinced Tsvangirai to join the inclusive government the following month said Gono and Tomana's appointments must be reviewed by the new government.

A communiqué issued after the Mozambique meeting said: "The parties should fully comply with the spirit and letter of the GPA and Sadc summit decisions of 27 January 2009."

One of the negotiators confirmed that Gono's reassignment would be top on the agenda when the negotiations, which according to a strict Sadc timeline must be concluded by month-end, resume.

"He is not going to be put anywhere near finance, actually he must not even be seen in a tuckshop," said the source. "He has done his part, let him give others a chance to do the job."

In a surprising turn of events, Zanu-PF spokesperson Ephraim Masawi said the party was not interested in what will happen to Gono who has been defended by Mugabe on several occasions.

"Gono is just a governor to the RBZ. Whether he goes or stays, it does not affect Zanu-PF," Masawi said.

"He is not a member of the Zanu-PF central committee. I have been in Zanu PF for a long time and I have never seen him attending any central committee meeting."

MDC-T spokesperson, Nelson Chamisa said he could not comment on the latest developments.

As a way forward, the Sadc ministers also recommended that Tsvangirai's status as Prime Minister should be reviewed, with suggestions that he must have direct access to Mugabe.

They also spoke about the need for Sadc and the African Union to campaign for the removal of sanctions against Zimbabwe, for the parties to work together to stop external influence and create an internal mechanism to solve problems.

It has also emerged that Mugabe told the ministers that if "MDC-T does not campaign vigorously for the removal of the sanctions, Zanu PF will not move on the issue of governors."

This was contrary to commitments by the ageing leader that the parties would share the posts of governors according to their performance in last year's elections.

He also said MDC-T treasurer Roy Bennett would be sworn in once he is cleared of "criminal charges against him".

On the other hand Tsvangirai said the removal of sanctions was a collective responsibility and that where the parties disagree, a facilitator must be called in.

South African President Jacob Zuma was asked by the Sadc mini-summit to assess the progress towards the fulfilment of the outstanding issues before month-end.

MDC-T also wants the appointment of permanent secretaries to be dealt with while Zanu PF says it wants an end to the regime change agenda by the international community, the closure of pirate radio stations and that MDC-T must close "parallel government structures".