Johannesburg  - The leaders of South Africa and Botswana began deliberating Sunday over the next possible moves regarding Zimbabwe's worsening humanitarian situation, a day after Harare stopped a visit of senior statesmen.

South African President Kgalema Motlanthe was meeting his Botswana counterpart, Ian Khama, in Pretoria, but it was uncertain whether they would try to prepare a new diplomatic initiative. Khama is one of the few African heads of state to publicly criticize Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

On Saturday, a planned visit to Zimbabwe by former UN secretary- general Kofi Annan, former US president Jimmy Carter and former Mozambican first lady Graca Machel was stopped by Harare at the last minute, although Harare denied the visit was being barred altogether.

Late Saturday, Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi accused Annan of having "misrepresented" the facts when he had said the trio had been barred from visiting. The trip was to have started Saturday.

"The postponement was necessary because Mr Annan had made no prior consultations with government of Zimbabwe regarding both the timing and programme of his proposed visit as is normal practice," said Mumbengegwi.

"It is quite clear that no meaningful assessment of the humanitarian situation could be undertaken in the few hours the delegation intended to be in Zimbabwe," Mumbengegwi said.

Zimbabwe is facing a serious humanitarian crisis with more than half the population facing starvation. A cholera outbreak in September has since claimed about 300 lives, according to the World Health Organisation.

Mumbengegwi said President Robert Mugabe's government was fully aware of the humanitarian challenges facing the country and that Harare was determined to address these challenges.

Annan, Carter and Machel, representing the so-called Elders group of senior statesmen and women established by former South African president Nelson Mandela in 2007, stressed their determination to try to visit Zimbabwe. (dpa)