(Last Updated on July 22, 2013 by Editor)
22 July 2013
Last updated at 08:05 ET
Robert Mugabe has said he is confident of victory
South African President Jacob Zuma has told his Zimbabwe envoy to stop making public comments, after she was criticised by Robert Mugabe.
Mr Zuma, the chief mediator in Zimbabwe’s 2008-9 political crisis, said only he was authorised to comment ahead of the 31 July elections.
His envoy, Lindiwe Zulu, last week said the electoral preparations were “not looking good”.
Zimbabwe’s president then asked Mr Zuma to stop “this woman” from commenting.
President Mugabe is seeking to extend his 33-year rule and will face Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in the ballot box.
The two long-time rivals have been sharing power since 2009, under a deal brokered by Mr Zuma.