Most Zimbabweans consider the current crisis in their country to have started after the constitutional referendum of February 2000 when President Robert Mugabe lost his bid for a proposed constitutional revision. Since then the South African Government has been criticised both in Zimbabwe and abroad for its lack of engagement and commitment to resolve the crisis. This paper studies former South African President Thabo Mbeki's foreign policy approach to Zimbabwe through a historical overview of the crisis, an examination of South Africa's quiet diplomacy successes and failures, the motivations behind the policies, a brief assessment of other approaches through the SADC, the AU and the UN and concludes with alternative policy proposals that South Africa may consider in managing relations with Zimbabwe in the future.
