President Jacob Zuma’s attempt to help reconcile the two warring factions of South Sudan in Pretoria appears to have failed after both South Sudan President Salva Kiir and ousted opposition leader Dr Riek Machar declined an invitation to meet in Pretoria.

Zuma had hoped that his attempt at bridge-building would eventuate in Pretoria after postponing a Thursday meeting with Kiir, who is currently in the country, to Friday.

However, Machar, the leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO), who is based in Johannesburg, declined to travel to Pretoria to meet his nemesis.

Officials close to the two leaders confirmed to the Sudan Tribune separately on Sunday that neither Kiir nor Machar, had shown interest in meeting each other.

“We were expecting the South African government, and the ANC (African National Congress) leadership, would arrange a special meeting between Kiir and Machar,” said a presidential aide of Kiir who has accompanied the president to South Africa but who declined to be identified.

“There were signs that such a meeting would take place considering that the ANC played a very important role in the reunification of the SPLM through Tanzania’s ruling party,” he added.

Also accompanying Kiir’s delegation to South Africa is former SPLM-IO deputy chairman Alfred Lado Gore, an attempt – critics allege – by Kiir to demonstrate Juba’s commitment to implementing the Arusha agreement.

The Arusha Agreement signed on January 21, 2015, outlined the parties commitment to the reunification of the warring SPLM factions. Crucial points incorporated include political, organisation and leadership issues.

Kiir also replaced Machar with Taban Deng Gai, the former governor of Unity State, after giving the former an ultimatum to return to the country after Machar fled claiming the president was trying to assassinate him when clashes once again engulfed Juba in July.

However, Gai’s leadership of the SPLA-IO is regarded as illegitimate by the international community – and many in the SPLA-IO, as a growing schism divides the opposition.

Meanwhile, the SPLA-IO released a statement by the commander of SPLA-IO forces, John Sunday Martin, who claimed his forces were in full control of Lasu/Lonbongo in Yei River State after clashes with government troops on Saturday which left 16 SPLA men dead.

The SPLA-IO commander stated that following the clashes his men had captured arms and ammunition, including an armoured vehicle.

Martin further claimed that government forces had crossed into the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo where they had sought the protection of the Congolese army.