South Africa has brought together delegates from President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change in a first round of secret talks to try to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe, the Financial Times has learnt.

Launching a process that South African sources liken to the clandestine negotiations that led to the end of apartheid, officials from Zimbabwe’s rival parties were flown to a lake resort near Pretoria 10 days ago.