HARARE, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- South African President Thabo Mbeki will fly to Zimbabwe next week to salvage a power-sharing agreement, which is brokered by him and aimed at solving the political and economic crisis facing the country, after Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has threatened to form a new cabinet by setting a deadline for the opposition to sign the deal.

    Zimbabwe state media the Herald said on Friday that South African President Mbeki will try, during his visit, to get the signature of the opposition on the long awaited power-sharing deal which is supposed to lead to the formation of a unity government in the country.

    The power-sharing agreement had been reached after marathon meetings between the Zimbabwe ruing ZANU-PF and the Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and its faction MDC-T at secret locations in Pretoria and Cape Town in South Africa, according to the Herald.

    The deal has been agreed by Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and MDC leader Arthur Mutambara but MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai has withheld his signature. Tsvangirai has asked for what he called time to "consult and reflect" over a single issue in the agreement which makes him prime minister and deputy chair of cabinet with President Mugabe as chair, the Herald said.

    Zimbabwe has not had a new cabinet since the presidential run-off elections on June 27 this year, in which President Mugabe won a landslide victory.

    Zimbabwe President Mugabe has given the last chance to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to sign the power-sharing deal, warning that he will name the new cabinet if Tsvantirai fails to sign on Thursday, a deadline that has already passed.

    The president said on Wednesday that the opposition leader was being compromised by the British government.

    "We know that it is the British government behind it. It is the British government, which does not want an agreement, and as long as they do not want it, he (Tsvantirai) will not sign." Mugabe was quoted by the Herald as saying.

    "They want the sanctions to continue to punish us into an agreement with them. It is the land question, and all this talk about democracy is nonsense," Mugabe said.

    The president said this is a government born out of elections with a mandate to serve the people.

    "We are a government, and we are a government that is empowered by elections. So we should form a cabinet. We will not allow a situation where we will not have a cabinet forever," Mugabe was quoted.

    "If after tomorrow (Thursday) Tsvangirai does not want to sign, we will certainly put together a cabinet. We feel frozen at the moment," he said.

    Responding to the warning, the opposition MDC-T has said it will not be forced into a deal or rushed into a deal.

    It also said that it had lost faith in power-sharing talks with President Mugabe, reports said.

    Saying that it has lost confidence in the mediation by Mbeki, the opposition is now seeking the mediation of the African Union and the United Nations to keep the negotiation process going on.

    The MDC-T has demanded that cabinet be co-chaired by President Robert Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai. It has also demanded to open fresh negotiations on all issues that had been discussed and agreed to, according to the Herald.

    The Zimbabwe ruling ZANU-PF has said that there would no more talks between the parties involved since there was a deal already on the table awaiting Tsvangirai's approval.

    ZANU-PF principle negotiator Cde Patrick Chinamasa said earlier that there was no need for more talks since there was a deal already on the table that is waiting to be signed by parties involved in the talks.

    Zimbabwe President Mugabe said while opening of Parliament late last month that "We shall soon be setting up a government."

    "The MDC-T does not want to come in apparently," Mugabe said

    The president said he was going to appoint cabinet ministers who can manage the business of the people.

    "I need managers. I want workers -- people who take people to work. I do not want people with own business. I want one business -- the people's business," the Herald quoted Mugabe as saying.

    Zimbabwean President and ruling ZANU-PF candidate Mugabe won a landslide victory in the presidential run-off election on June 27. The run-off was held as scheduled despite Tsvangirai's withdrawal from the race. Tsvangirai withdrew from the election citing various reasons, including political violence.

    Tsvangirai received 47.9 percent of the votes in the first round of election held on March 29, followed by President Robert Mugabe's 43.2 percent.

    An outright winner needs to obtain an absolute majority of the votes, otherwise a run-off needs to be held, according to Zimbabwe's law.

    During its summit held last month in South Africa, SADC endorsed the power-sharing agreement among the main political parties in Zimbabwe.