Drop Zimbabwe sanctions, SA tells Davos

"Brotherly" South Africa seems to be coming to Zimbabwe’s rescue.

It isn't in form of the $1.2bn (£930m) loan the country had asked, but rather by using its international reputation to plead Zimbabwe's case.

Speaking on the side-lines of the World Economic Forum (WEF), South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa called for an end to economic sanctions against Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa is a no-show at Davos this year, with little choice but to cut short his foreign travels and deal with the humiliation of anti-government protests at home.

South Africa is home to the largest population of Zimbabweans outside that country, so instability there has an impact here - not least of which economically.

President Ramaphosa seems determined to help find a solution, saying the crisis was a challenge not just for Zimbabwe but the whole continent.

In the streets of Zimbabwe a degree of normalcy has returned, businesses are open, people are walking the streets but the army is still on patrol.

So what happens now?

Many will be watching President Mnangagwa's words and actions over the next few days. He has a tough job ahead.

He needs to rein in his security forces from clamping down on dissent in the brutal way they did during the rule of Robert Mugabe, who was ousted as president last year in a military takeover.

He must also restore Zimbabwe’s now tarnished reputation after last week’s deadly protests.

The dream of his new Zimbabwe is far from being realised.