Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change will on Thursday hold preliminary talks with President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party on ending the country's political crisis, an MDC source said on Thursday.

The source said the preliminary talks, in South Africa, would discuss ending political violence which the opposition says has killed more than a 100 of its supporters. The MDC would decide whether to enter full negotiations based on the result of the talks.

Diplomatic sources in Pretoria also said the two sides had agreed to talks, which the MDC had previously refused to attend until the violence ended.