This week's SADC summit in Pretoria failed to bring hope to the people of Zimbabwe, leaders of the Save Zimbabwe Now Campaign said on Tuesday.

Addressing the media in Johannesburg, Nixon Nyikadzino said it was unfortunate that Southern African Development Community leaders spent 14 hours in talks on Monday and came out with the same proposal that was made last year.

"It means that they are condoning violence in Zimbabwe because they did not mention the abduction of people and torture."

Nyikadzino, who is also a member of the Crisis in Zimbabwe
Coalition, said the leaders simply told the three Zimbabwean political parties to form a government of national unity.

According to a SADC statement on Tuesday, the Zimbabwean Parliament should be urged to pass Amendment 19 to the September power sharing agreement by February 5, followed by the swearing-in of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and deputy prime minister Arthur Mutambara by February 11,

Robert Mugabe would remain president.

"There is an assumption that everything would not be okay, it is correct because they have accepted Robert Mugabe, a dictator, to continue. They have just considered the security of Mugabe and no ordinary people who are suffering," said Nyikadzino.

Professor Tinyiko Maluleke, president of the SA Council of Churches and one of the leaders of the Save Zimbabwe Now Campaign, said he had listened to South African government officials and SADC leaders talking about the outcome of the summit and found nothing new.

"People are looking for a sign of hope. We are not sure whether what they have now is different from the old proposal. It looks like we will have another round of waiting while people are suffering."

SA Police Service members were also criticised for the way they handled a protest outside the presidential guest house on Monday.

Police fired rubber bullets, injuring eight people in the protest
organised by the Save Zimbabwe Now Campaign.

The SADC summit met on Monday to resolve a power-sharing dispute between Zimbabwe's three political leaders.

The political crisis in Zimbabwe has been exacerbated by several humanitarian crises since the hotly-contested March 2008 elections in which both Tsvangirai and Mugabe claimed victory.