Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party has announced that a new government will be set up by the end of February, the state- controlled Herald Online reported on Monday.

The announcement was made by a senior Zanu-PF official, Nicholas Goche, during a meeting with South African facilitator Sydney Mufamade on Saturday.

He said Zimbabwe's leader Robert Mugabe would press ahead with the formation of a new government with the full consent of the South African Development Community, according to the Herald.

The meeting was the latest in a series of negotiations, overseen by former South African president Thabo Mbeki, aimed at forming a government of national unity in crisis-torn Zimbabwe.

But Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has previously insisted he would only accept the position of prime minister in a new government once all disagreements with Zanu-PF had been settled.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwean government has extended its price controls on basic goods and services until June 30, 2009, the Herald reported Monday.

The newspaper stated that the price of school feeds will be monitored, as well as items including bread, maize-meal, cooking oil, salt and sugar.

The move is reportedly aimed to prevent profiteering by businesses.

In neighbouring South Africa, some forty seven new cases of cholera have been registered. The outbreak, thought to originate in Zimbabwe, has led to a total of 1,400 cases, according to South Africa's health department. (dpa)