Harare — A three-member team appointed by South African President Jacob Zuma to facilitate negotiations between the three political parties in the inclusive Government was scheduled to arrive in the country last night to join the negotiators as dialogue on the outstanding issues continues.

The team comprises Mr Charles Nqakula, a former Cabinet minister, Mr Mac Maharaj and Ms Lindiwe Zulu, who is President Zuma's international relations adviser.

AFP quoted President Zuma's spokesman, Mr Vincent Magwenya, on Saturday as telling the South African media that the facilitation team would take over from former South African president Thabo Mbeki.

"As part of the evaluation process, the facilitation team will be visiting Zimbabwe," Mr Magwenya was quoted as saying.

"Former president Mbeki's role was in the context of him being the head of state."

An official at the South African embassy in Harare confirmed last night their coming, but details as to their expected time of arrival were not available at the time of going to press.

"The facilitators are indeed coming, but we have not been told what time they will be coming. They might be coming tonight or tomorrow with the first flight to Harare; that is the information that we, as the embassy, are waiting to be relayed to us by our head office in South Africa. We are waiting to receive them," said the official.

One of the Zanu-PF negotiators, Cde Nicholas Goche, confirmed the South African team's imminent arrival.

"Their role would be to facilitate, the same role which former president Mbeki has been doing. At the moment I do not have the actual details in terms of their itinerary until we meet them as negotiators," said Cde Goche, who is also Transport, Communication and Infrastructural Development Minister.

MDC-T spokesman Mr Nelson Chamisa also confirmed that the three facilitators would be in Zimbabwe for the ongoing talks, but could not be drawn into giving further details.

Another negotiator, Professor Welshman Ncube of MDC, declined to give details, saying he was attending a meeting.

Negotiators from the three parties have in the past week been holding meetings on how to implement provisions of the Global Political Agreement as mandated by the Sadc Troika in Maputo, Mozambique.

The three parties have 30 days within which to negotiate, conclude and report to the Sadc Troika.

Prof Ncube has denied the Sadc Troika gave the three parties a 30-day deadline.

In an interview at the weekend with an online publication, Prof Ncube, who is also Industry and Commerce Minister, castigated those who described the timeframe as a deadline, in a veiled attack apparently directed at MDC-T.

"That is a creation of those who grandstand and who are masters of deception. There never was a Sadc deadline. Sadc provided a framework," Prof Ncube said.

Explaining the Sadc communiqué, he said the regional bloc's resolution was that the parties were to meet immediately and after 15 days the facilitators would review the progress made.

He said after a further 15 days, the facilitators would report to the Sadc chair on progress made.

"Sadc might then consider what further assistance is required. And in my vocabulary those are not deadlines, those are frameworks," Prof Ncube was quoted as saying.

Among outstanding issues Zanu-PF has raised are the lifting of illegal sanctions imposed by the West at the instigation of MDC-T and an end to the beaming of anti-Zimbabwe propaganda by externally-based pirate radio stations.

MDC-T has cited the allocation of senior Government positions like ambassadors and provincial governors and the rescission of the appointment of Attorney-General Johannes Tomana and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr Gideon Gono among its outstanding issues.