The progress, made after several months of stubborn resistance by President Mugabe and hardliners in his party, is a sign that finally the pressure exerted by the region is beginning to bear fruit.
At a summit held in Zambia a few weeks ago, the Sadc Troika read the Riot Act to Mugabe who has been treated with kid gloves in the past.
They told him point blank that he had to change his ways and stop endemic political violence, the arrests of political opponents and allow for the establishment of a roadmap that would result in free and fair elections.
An angry Mugabe came back from the summit talking tough against the facilitator, South African President Jacob Zuma, but such talk was short-lived as he quickly realised the folly of his actions.
So the progress reported by negotiators on Thursday should be understood in the context of Mugabe doing all he can to avoid alienating himself further from the region.
The negotiators should be applauded for identifying amendments to electoral laws as one of the critical issues that need to be addressed before elections are held.
It is common knowledge that these laws favour the incumbent Mugabe at the expense of other candidates.
While this progress is commendable, both the MDCs and Sadc should be wary of Mugabe, ahead of the May 20 extraordinary summit set for Namibia.
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The 87-year-old remains the same obstinate and crafty leader who is only concerned about maintaining his grip on power. His commitment to reform should therefore be judged by actions and not words.
While Mugabe appears conciliatory to political rivals, on the ground the actions of the police, his ministers and youth militia show that Mugabe is far from changing his ways.
Leopards don’t easily change their spots, so the old adage goes.
