member regional bloc, planned to send a technical fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe before the election to assess the situation and that South Africa would reserve judgment until the team reported its findings. He said Pretoria would not be diverted by "sideshows" after a Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) team was denied entry in Harare on a planned fact-finding visit on Wednesday. "There is a fundamental strategic objective that we pursue as South Africa and as the Southern African Development Community, and that objective is to help (Zimbabwe) achieve free and fair elections," Netshitenzhe said. "If we allowed ourselves to be diverted by sideshows, we might lose sight of the ball." COSATU, a key ally of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC), reacted with outrage after Harare turned back its delegation as uninvited visitors with a hostile agenda. --More 0010 Local Time 2110 GMT
