Cape Town — The Southern African Development Community's point person on Zimbabwe, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, flew to Harare on Thursday amid indications that talks to resolve the country's crisis have reached a critical point.

South Africa's deputy foreign minister, Aziz Pahad, told a media briefing in Pretoria on Wednesday that it seemed there was "some real movement" in resolving outstanding issues between Zimbabwe's governing and opposition parties ahead of elections scheduled for March.

According to a government transcript of the briefing, Pahad said "even" the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) had indicated through the press that there was agreement on "all substantive issues."

"What is now important," added Pahad, "is the timing – can the elections be held in March [and] whether the agreed changes to the constitution should become effective before any elections are held."

A South African foreign ministry statement issued later on Wednesday said Mbeki would be accompanied on his one-day visit by Sydney Mufamadi, the provincial and local government minister often used by the Mbeki government as a trouble-shooter.

The Irish prime minister, Bertie Ahern, was reported earlier this week as saying that Mbeki had told him "that he [Mbeki] is within days ... of the final aspects of this."