South African President Thabo Mbeki's persistent policy of "quiet diplomacy" toward Zimbabwe is a dangerous game that could ultimately claim his dream of an African renaissance, analysts warned Monday. South Africa lobbied fiercely for its northern neighbour's return to the Commonwealth at the weekend but failed dismally, with the 54-nation body announcing Sunday that Zimbabwe's suspension would be maintained indefinitely. That prompted President Robert Mugabe to announce that Zimbabwe was quitting the body "with immediate effect". Mbeki's policy "is a very dangerous game," political analyst Hussein Solomon of the University of Pretoria told AFP. "I don't think it is in our national interest that President Mbeki has no credibility as a leader because he is not prepared to stand by the principles that he is espousing in terms of NEPAD and a vision of an African renaissance." Mbeki is one of the architects of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), a social and economic rescue plan that promises good governance in return for more economic aid. "The danger is that the United Kingdom, amongst other countries, and Canada which has been trumpeting NEPAD in terms of G8 (industrialised nations) and other forums, could very well withdraw that support," Solomon said. Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, director of studies at the Johannesburg-based South African Institute of International Affairs, said it was time for a different strategy toward Zimbabwe. "At some point, the Zimbabwe economy is going to implode, and it's not good for SADC (the 14-nation Southern African Development Community); it's not good for what we are trying to a achieve in terms of NEPAD." "What South Africa will have to realise is, something has to change. They have to send clear signals to Mugabe, and it does not have to be public," she added. Mbeki and some other African presidents argued that Mugabe would be more likely to promote reform if his humiliating exclusion from the Commonwealth was lifted. The quarrel dominated the four-day Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja which was ending Monday, and threatened to divide the body along racial lines. A small group of African countries, including South Africa, in an unprecedented move, even opposed the re-election of Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon, a New Zealander who has been openly adamant that Zimbabwe should remain suspended. The Commonwealth suspended Zimbabwe in March last year after a presidential election returned the 79-year-old Mugabe to office amid widespread vote-rigging, violence and political repression. But despite this, South Africa has stuck to its so-called policy of "quiet diplomacy", refusing to speak out against its neighbour, which is increasingly dependent on the South African economy for survival.