The medium to long-term cost of putting bankrupt Zimbabwe back together could run as high as US$5-billion, that country's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told a media briefing at Tuynhuys in Cape Town on Friday.

The briefing followed a meeting with President Kgalema Motlanthe, focused on working out an aid package for South Africa's stricken northern neighbour.

Tsvangirai said the immediate short-term focus of the new unity government in his country was to look at what he called short-term interventions to get Zimbabwe back on its feet, specifically in areas such as health and education and the provision of food.

"As for the medium to long-term economic recovery... I think it could run into billions of dollars. Maybe as high as five billion," he said, responding to a journalist's question.

Motlanthe said he had heard from the Zimbabwean delegation ? which included Finance Minister Tendai Biti and Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi ? about preliminary plans to deal with Zimbabwe's economic challenges.

It had been agreed to "direct the ministers of finance [from the two countries] to sit down and develop the detail of how these challenges can best be dealt with".

Motlanthe said this was a work in progress, but "by the end of next week we will be able to have clear detailed action plans".

Responding to a question on how much aid Zimbabwe had asked for from South Africa, Motlanthe said there were currently "no figures to speak of".

There would be a clearer picture of what the requirements were by the end of next week, after the finance ministers had met.

"We are acting as good neighbours," he said.

Tsvangirai dismissed speculation Zimbabwe was planning to adopt the rand as its sole currency. The country would employ what he called a "multi-currency" approach.

Tsvangirai also called on Zimbabweans living in South Africa to look positively at the new political dispensation in their country and return home.

Responding to a question on whether he would consider aid for his country from the British government, he raised a laugh when he replied: "I don't care whether the cat is brown or black, as long as it catches mice. We don't care where it comes from."

Also present at the briefing were Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Finance Minister Trevor Manuel.