South African election observers in Zimbabwe want free and fair polls to ensure the integrity of the region, the head of the mission said Wednesday.

"We're not simply going there to take notes and observe and be critical," senior diplomat Kingsley Mamabolo told reporters in Pretoria.

"Our mission is to ensure that the SADC member states, be it Zimbabwe or whoever, advance in this area, because we all want in the region countries to advance and prosper in conducting transparent and democratic elections," he added.

Mamabolo was addressing members of the media ahead of the departure of the bulk of 55 South African observers for Harare who include goverment officials, parliamentarians, trade unionists and members of civil society.

They will be part of some 120 observers mandated by Southern African Development Community (SADC) members, along with 46 other teams of monitors from other African states and countries such as China, Russia and Iran with which President Robert Mugabe enjoys relatively good relations.

European Union member states and the United States — which both accused Mugabe of rigging his re-election in 2002 — have not been invited to monitor the 29 March voting.

"SADC moves from the position that we help them (Zimbabweans) make the elections as credible as possible," Mamabolo added.

"We have been invited because our views are important... We are not there simply to endorse anything. We are going there to view events and we will be active. We will contribute to the SADC report," he said.

South Africa's main opposition and staunch critic of the government's policies on Mugabe, the Democratic Alliance, which is also part of the country's delegation, said it was not going to Zimbabwe to "prejudge" the outcome of the elections.

AFP