Harare — Zimbabwe's three governing political parties have finally started dialogue to save their shaky power sharing arrangement after missing a two week deadline.

Representatives from President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) factions led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Professor Arthur Mutambara resumed the crucial talks late on Monday.

The meeting dragged deep into the night and the six negotiators were also due to meet again on Tuesday.

The talks came two days after the expiry of a 15 day deadline set by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on November 6 for the Zimbabweans to start discussions on a number of outstanding issues threatening the unity government.

Regional leaders meeting in Maputo directed the parties to start the talks within 15 days and conclude them within 30 days.

South African President Jacob Zuma who has taken over the mediation from his predecessor Mr Thabo Mbeki had been expected to visit Zimbabwe after the 15 day time line to assess progress.

Officials say he has now decided to give Mr Mugabe and his former rivals until December 5 to find a common ground.

However, the parties now say the deadline was not "cast in stone" suggesting that the negotiations might drag on for some time.

"The SADC time line was not cast in stone," one of the Zanu PF negotiators Mr Nicholas Goche told the state media.

"The situation is not like that of a school where the headmaster would punish us for not meeting the timeline.

"We are going to meet and update them on the progress made. I am a perpetual optimist. I do not see any reason why we should not resolve the issues."

Zimbabwe has recorded 143 suspected cholera cases in the past few weeks as fears grow of a repeat of last year's epidemic that killed more than 4 000 people.

The Minister of Health and Child Welfare Dr Henry Madzorera said 21 cases, including six from the capital Harare had been confirmed in laboratory tests.

Five people have died from the disease since the first cases were reported in September.

Dr Madzorera said the case-fatality rate stood at 4.3 percent compared to a fatality rate of not more than one percent usually witnessed in controlled cholera outbreaks.

Zimbabwe is still struggling to restore its health delivery system following the formation of a unity government between President Robert Mugabe and his former rivals in February.

An outbreak that began in August last year and lasted for almost a year before it was officially declared over killed more than 4 000 people and infected close to 100 000 others.

Some of the outstanding issues include Mr Mugabe's refusal to rescind his unilateral appointment of his two cronies to head the attorney general's office and the central bank.

The veteran leader has also refused to swear in Mr Tsvangirai's top ally Mr Roy Bennett as deputy agriculture minister, while Zanu PF says the MDC has not lived up to its promise to call for the lifting of sanctions targeted at Mr Mugabe's inner circle.