PRETORIA, (CAJ News)--ABOUT  30 people were wounded when South Africa Police Service (SAPS) opened fire on a group of  about 1 000 protesting Zimbabwean exiles at the on-going power-sharing talks at the Union Building, here on Monday.

Police fired rubber bullets at the protestors who wanted to confront Zimbabwean leader President Robert Mugabe, who is accused of running down the country and slowing down progress in the power-sharing process.

Those severely wounded were hospitalised at Tshwane District Hospital in Pretoria with several dozens others arrested.

Among those that were shot included Patron of the Youth Movement of Zimbabwe, Reverend Mufaro Hove, was one of the victims shot on the back and shoulders as the group attempted to break into the Union Building.

Several dozens others, including 12 Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) regional and national leaders were arrested, among them Thabitha Khumalo, MDC Spokesperson South Africa Sibanengi Dube, MDC Organising Secretary Philimon Moyo and his deputy Rodgers Mudarikwa including the Crisis In Zimbabwe Coalition Acting Coordinator for South Africa, Nixon (Mao" Nyikadzino were arrested arrested during the demonstration.

Hove and dozens of other Zimbabweans were hospitalised at Tshwane District Hospital.

"We wanted to break into the Union Building to confront Mugabe. The police reacted swiftly and started firing rubber bullets at us. Women and children were injured," said Hove.

About 1 000 refugees from the troubled southern African country staged a demonstration outside the Union Building on Monday morning protesting the delays in resolving the crisis and demanding the removal of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) chief mediator, Thabo Mbeki.

The protestors, among them members of the Revolutionary Youth Movement of Zimbabwe, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Crisis In Zimbabwe Coalition (South Africa Chapter), Zimbabwe Exiles Forum (ZEF) and several other civic society organisations danced and sang at the venue of the talks demanding the stepping down of Mbeki, whom they accuse of siding with Mugabe in the power-sharing talks.

In a brief interview with CAJ News this morning, MDC spokesperson for South Africa, Sibanengi Dube, said Zimbabweans were fed up with Mbeki's open bias towards Mugabe's ZANU-PF in the negotiations with the MDC .

"The protesting Zimbabweans here are sending a clear message to the SADC leaders that they are sick and tired of Mbeki's antics. Our message should be correctly taken to the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU) for further discussion with a view to finding a lasting solution to this problem.

"We are saying to Mbeki, 'please, you have failed, so go in peace and leave us alone'. We do appreciate what he did in making the two warring parties meet, but this has been done in bad faith with a view to re-invigorate Mugabe," said Dube.

Hove earlier told CAJ News that Mugabe's government had turned Zimbabwe into a failed state.

"The talks being mediated by Mbeki will not yield anything. This is the reason we are calling for both the United Nations and the African Union to intervene. We need a solution now or else Mbeki should be removed from being the SADC chief mediator because of his bias towards ZANU-PF," said Hove.

Mugabe leads the ZANU-PF delegation at the extra-ordinary summit of SADC, which is hoping to bring the MDC formations led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara to agree to work with the country's ruling party in a government of national unity. ---CAJ News.