Zimbabwe is negotiating 3.25 billion rands (447 million dollars, 352 euros) in credit from neighbouring South Africa in an effort to revive the country’s economy, the finance minister said Wednesday.

“There are two facilities that we are negotiating. One is a line of credit of 500 million rand, one is a revival of an old overdraft facility of 2.75 billion rand,” Tendai Biti told business leaders in the capital.

“We are also talking to private capital, the banks,” he said.

Mugabe and his longtime rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai formed a unity government in February last year, hoping to end a decade of political and economic crisis.

The unity government has appealed for 10 billion US dollars for reconstruction, but major Western donors have demanded more political reforms before offering direct budget support.