Two months on and the "package of measures" President Zuma declared had been negotiated to resolve the Zimbabwean political deadlock remains stillborn. In his Budget Speech this week, the President noted the establishment of human rights, electoral and media commissions in Zimbabwe, and the acquittal of the MDC's Treasurer, Roy Bennett, on controversial charges, as evidence of progress. However with the country facing rampant violence and continued social and economic strife, and news that Bennett's reprieve is being challenged by the state, Zimbabwe's fate appears increasingly uncertain.

South Africa has the political and economic muscle to effect real progress in Zimbabwe. The failure of successive ANC leaders to make substantial headway in the Zimbabwean political negotiations, and President Zuma's decision not to eschew the failed approach of his predecessor, is representative of a chronic lack of political will on behalf of the ruling party. For actual progress, the kind necessary to reinvigorate Zimbabwe politically, socially and economically, President Robert Mugabe must be barred from participating in the negotiations progress.

Instead of misleading the South African public with regards to the political situation in Zimbabwe, President Zuma needs to use his position as SADC-appointed facilitator and leader of Zimbabwe's most critical ally to finally confront the reality that those before him have failed to acknowledge. As long as its architect remains at the helm, the Zimbabwean crisis faces no chance of resolution.