Harare - A month after he clinched a power-sharing deal between Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his arch-rival Morgan Tsvangirai, former South African president Thabo Mbeki was back in Zimbabwe Tuesday to broker talks aimed at salvaging the accord.

Mbeki is to meet with Mugabe and Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) about the deadlock between their parties on the formation of a unity government, as agreed in the September 15 deal.

Mbeki, who is accompanied by two negotiators, will also meet with MDC splinter faction leader Arthur Mutambara, who is the third party to the deal.

Johannesburg/Harare- Former South African president Thabo Mbeki was due to return to Zimbabwe Monday to try to salvage the power-sharing deal he clinched a month ago between die-hard President Robert Mugabe and his arch-rival Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mbeki's spokesman told SAPA news agency he would travel to Zimbabwe Monday afternoon at the behest of "all the parties in Zimbabwe plus SADC (the Southern African Development Community, which deployed him as Zimbabwean mediator last year)."

Johannesburg - Disaffected members of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) loyal to ousted former president Thabo Mbeki announced plans to form a splinter ANC faction that would challenge the party in upcoming general elections.

Addressing a press conference in Johannesburg, former defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota, flanked by his former deputy Mluleki George and other ANC members, said the ANC, under Jacob Zuma's leadership, had become mired in tribalism and disregard for the rule of law.

Johannesburg - African National Congress (ANC) deputy leader Kgalema Motlanthe was due to be sworn in as South Africa's third president since democracy in 
1994 on Thursday, five days after Thabo Mbeki was forced out of the job by his party.

Mbeki's nine years as president, which followed Nelson Mandela's single five-year term, formally came to an end at midnight on Wednesday. He chaired his last cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Johannesburg - South Africa's Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka was the first member of ousted President Thabo Mbeki's cabinet to confirm her resignation Tuesday.

Mlambo-Ngcuka's spokesman said she had handed in her resignation to Mbeki.

Her resignation comes two days after Mbeki stepped down as president just months before his second and last five-year term was due to run out.

Johannesburg  - South Africa's archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu on Monday said he