Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is of an advanced age and it would not be helpful dealing with him as an individual, South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe told the National Assembly on Wednesday.

"President Mugabe is of an advanced age," Motlanthe said.

"It is not very helpful to devote all our efforts on dealing with him as an individual."

Motlanthe said a call by the Southern African Development Community to lift sanctions against Zimbabwe was not aimed at protecting Mugabe.

"Mugabe is an individual. The lifting of sanctions is meant to attract necessary investments into Zimbabwe so that the economic recovery can take effect.

"We know that once political stability returns, the region can only benefit from that development."

Motlanthe said the government took its cue on the sanctions issue from political parties in Zimbabwe.

"The answer in short is that continued calls for sanctions would serve no useful purpose. It would not serve the ordinary people of Zimbabwe."

Motlanthe said the South African government had told Zimbabwean political parties that human rights abuses in the country, such as kidnappings and beatings, would not be tolerated.

"We have spelt out that when Gordon Brown (British Prime Minister) and Barack Obama (US President) and the EU (European Union) want progress, these are the issues the Zimbabwean political leadership ought to address to ensure investors come to the party."

Motlanthe said the Zimbabweans parties had realised that this was their last chance to "pull themselves out of the morass" they had found themselves in.