African leaders grappled today with a long-simmering crisis in Zimbabwe and a new humanitarian catastrophe in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A BREAKAWAY faction of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress led by a former defence minister was yesterday due to register as a political party, named the South African Democratic Congress, a spokesman said.

Zimbabwe’s opposition leader claims four days of “intense” negotiations have failed to break the deadlock in power-sharing talks and called for intervention by regional and African leaders.

Zimbabwe MPs heckled each other during the first working session of the new opposition-dominated parliament today as negotiators tried to salvage the African country’s power-sharing agreement.

ZIMBABWEAN president Robert Mugabe has sworn in two vice presidents ahead of talks on forming a cabinet, a government official has said, a move that could further endanger power-sharing negotiations.

South Africa’s new health minister today broke dramatically from a decade of discredited government policies on Aids, declaring that the disease was unquestionably caused by HIV and must be treated with conventional medicine.

EU nations today condemned moves by Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe to take control of key ministries in defiance of a power-sharing deal with opponents.

Zimbabwe’s opposition leader is threatening to pull out of a national unity government if President Robert Mugabe’s party controls all the key ministries.

ZIMBABWE’S inflation rate soared to 231 million per cent, but the country’s economic and political crisis showed no sign of ending as the opposition MDC declared a deadlock in power-sharing talks.

Zimbabwe’s president lashed out at Western powers in a speech to the UN General Assembly, accusing them of genocide and calling for the removal of US sanctions.

South Africa’s finance minister resigned along with most leading Cabinet members today in the wake of president Thabo Mbeki’s departure.

South African President Thabo Mbeki has told his nation he has formally resigned, effective as soon as a new president is chosen.

South African president Thabo Mbeki has agreed to resign following orders from the ruling party.

South Africa’s ruling party has called on President Thabo Mbeki to resign and says he has agreed to the request.

Britain today gave a cautious welcome to a power-sharing deal signed today between political rivals in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe and opposition leaders today signed a power-sharing deal that will see him lose some of his all-encompassing pow

On paper – and it’s a paper he has yet to sign or even publicly admit exists - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe appears to be acknowledging at last that he cannot rule the African country alone.

A SOUTH AFRICAN judge threw out corruption charges against ruling party leader Jacob Zuma yesterday, clearing the way for him to become the country’s next president.

The man set to be South Africa’s next president emerged victorious today from a corruption case that dogged him for eight years.

A South African judge ruled today that prosecutors were wrong to charge ANC President Jacob Zuma with corruption, effectively clearing way for the 66-year-old former freedom fighter to become the country’s next president.

Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader said tonight he had struck a deal to share power with President Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai were today meeting in a fresh round of power-sharing talks.

The main opposition leader in Zimbabwe has said that if Robert Mugabe cannot agree at the negotiating table to surrender most of his powers, he should put the decision to his people in a new election, the main opposition leader said.

ZIMBABWE’S main opposition party said yesterday the latest talks on power-sharing with the ruling ZANU-PF that resumed on Friday in South Africa did not reach agreement.

South African leaders tonight urged negotiators to build on the basis for a power-sharing agreement to resolve the political crisis in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader faced mounting pressure today to agree to a power-sharing government with President Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader has quit power-sharing talks with president Robert Mugabe to consider a possible deal, it emerged today.

Robert Mugabe is to remain as president of Zimbabwe in a deal thrashed out in peace talks today.

Reports from southern Africa suggest a breakthrough has been reached in peace talks over Zimbabwe that would allow Robert Mugabe to remain as president.

South African President Thabo Mbeki is heading to Zimbabwe, where the government today said coalition talks he is mediating between President Robert Mugabe’s party and the opposition have reached a “milestone”.

South African president Thabo Mbeki, mediating in Zimbabwe’s post-election crisis, will travel to Harare today amid growing optimism a power-sharing deal can be reached between the ruling party and opposition.

ZIMBABWE’S opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai will run the country under a mooted draft agreement while President Robert Mugabe will become ceremonial president, a South African newspaper reported yesterday.

African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma will today seek to persuade a court to dismiss corruption and fraud charges against him – and remove the last obstacle on his road to becoming South African president.

Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe threatened a state of emergency if businesses profiteer from the country’s economic crisis.

Zimbabwe is knocking 10 zeros off its hyper-inflated currency to make $10bn become one dollar.

Senior negotiators from Zimbabwe’s main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and the ruling ZANU-PF party began talks yesterday and a report indicated they were close to reaching a deal on forming a unity government.

New EU sanctions against Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe increased Western pressure as his party was poised to begin talks with the opposition aimed at ending the country's political stalemate.

New EU sanctions against Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe today increased Western pressure as his party was to begin talks with the opposition aimed at ending the country’s political stalemate.

Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe and his bitter enemy Morgan Tsvangirai today agreed to hold talks to resolve the country’s political and economic crisis within two weeks.

Guests stood and cheered, a Xhosa choir sang “Here is our hope!” and a smiling Nelson Mandela welcomed hundreds of well-wishers in a festive tent outside his home on Saturday as South Africa formally celebrated the anti-apartheid icon’s 90th birthday.

South African President Thabo Mbeki announced plans to work closely with the UN and the African Union as he attempts to mediate a settlement in Zimbabwe.

ZIMBABWE’s rival parties have moved closer to a deal to allow fully fledged talks on the country’s crisis, state media said yesterday, after sanctions against Robert Mugabe’s regime were vetoed at the UN.

Zimbabwe’s opposition party reported today that at least 113 of its members have been killed in political violence since the country held its first round of presidential voting in March.

Zimbabwean government and opposition officials met in South Africa in a bid to find a way out of their country’s troubles following the recent presidential election run-off.