Harare, February 20, 2012- A showdown is looming between President Robert Mugabe and South African counterpart Southern African Development Community (SADC) appointed facilitator Jacob Zuma.

Mugabe told State controlled Radio Zimbabwe in an interview on the eve of his 88 birthday that Zimbabwe reserves the right to reject facilitators whose "conduct exhibits bias towards another party in the coalition government".

 The interview will be broadcast tonight but highlights appear in the Herald.

Mugabe is quoted as saying, "Facilitators that we are given are leaders selected on basis of their standing to assist a country that has differences so that the country can find a common ground and resolve the differences".

 He went further to say his party can easily reject Zuma in his role as the facilitator.

Mugabe blamed Lindiwe Zulu for playing a role that she thinks that is South Africa but President Zuma and Zuma alone".

Mugabe's sentiments differ with Zuma mediating role in political impasse over the full implementation of Global Political Agreement of 2009.

Zulu has maintained that the facilitation team would want to see the GPA implemented to the full.

"As far as the facilitation team is concerned the environment must be conducive. President Zuma does not want a repeat of what happened in 2008", Zulu is quoted as saying early this month.

Mugabe is accused of stamping his authority and has refused to implement security reforms among other outstanding issues.

Zimbabwe political crisis deepened in 2008 after controversial presidential run-off that followed the defeat of the liberation war hero in March polls that saw Mugabe losing to MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai.