John Nyashanu; SABC Zimbabwe

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) team in Zimbabwe says its major aim is to end the MDC's boycott of cabinet meetings and save the country's unity government that's on the verge of total collapse. The team, whose recommendations may culminate in a full SADC Extraordinary Summit, is meeting various players in government including President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai.

Political tensions shifted a gear up last night with authorities barring a UN envoy on torture, from entering the country.  The SADC team includes its executive secretary Tomaz Salomao, ministers from the region's organ on Defence, Politics and Security as well as Reverend Frank Chikane, representing the mediator. After two short meetings with foreign ministry officials and deputy premier Arthur Mutambara, the team reviewed early progress.

Tomaz Salomao says: “The major challenge to all of us is to ensure that MDC to accept to go back to cabinet so that they can address the problems, the issues with cabinet”.

Compromise is key if things are to work out. “Challenges, difficulties will always be there but we need an institutional framework to address them and the best institutional framework is the cabinet where they can sit, they can talk, they can compromise. It’s always a process of give and take;” Salomao added.

And it falls to this team to bring the two parties together to ensure some give and take. Tsvangirai's walkout follows what it says was President Mugabe's refusal to honor the unity agreement. On the other hand, the veteran leader accused the MDC of not condemning sanctions imposed on him and his top aides.