Harare - Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai flies to South Africa Friday, officials confirmed, for talks with South African President Kgalema Motlanthe on a reported aid package and the continued detention of pro-democracy activists.

South Africa's daily Business Day said Tsvangirai would be travelling with his finance minister, Tendai Biti, to discuss with Motlanthe plans for US$1 billion in aid from the African Development Bank.

Comment was not immediately available from Tsvangirai's office or from his Movement for Democratic Change.

The cash-strapped new government is in desperate need of funds to kickstart the reconstruction of the shattered economy after a decade of misrule by President Robert Mugabe's government.

This week, Tsvangirai met his promise to pay civil servants, including the army and police, in hard currency, paying 100 dollars to each worker at an estimated cost to the government of 30 million dollars.

Biti has been evasive on where the money came from and said the government only has enough money for another month's salaries.

Business Day also said Tsvangirai would appeal to Motlanthe over Mugabe's refusal to release Roy Bennett, his popular deputy agriculture minister-designate, as well as several other MDC members and civil society activists held since October.

Bennett missed his swearing-in Thursday after being arrested a week ago on charges of possession of weapons for "banditry, sabotage and terrorism."

State security and legal officers have repeatedly defied court orders for the activists' release and blocked Bennett's appeals for bail.

On Thursday, a court ordered the release on bail of seven detainees accused of bombing a Harare police station, but the attorney general's office appealed against the order. (dpa)