CAPE TOWN, South Africa— South Africa, which has been reluctant to criticize Zimbabwe publicly, made a strong call Thursday for the release of the African nation’s presidential vote tallies.

Government spokesman Themba Maseko warned “the situation is dire,” and criticized the failure of President Robert Mugabe’s government to release results nearly two weeks after the March 29 elections.

“When elections are held and results are not released two weeks after, it is obviously of great concern,” Maseko said.

South African President Thabo Mbeki was widely criticized for saying last weekend that Zimbabwe was not in crisis. At a summit, Mbeki and other regional leaders issued a weak declaration that failed to criticize Zimbabwean President Mugabe.

Mbeki, appointed last year to mediate between Zimbabwe’s government and opposition, has said Mugabe will not respond to a confrontational approach.

On Thursday, Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai called on Mbeki to step aside as mediator for Zimbabwe in favor of Zambia’s president, who has taken a tougher stance toward Mugabe.

President Bush criticized Zimbabwe’s neighbors on Thursday for failing to intercede to stop violence and misrule in the country. Other South African countries and international organizations, including the African Union, need to join the few who have come forward, Bush said. “More leaders in the region need to speak out, and the United Nations and the AU must play an active role in resolving the situation,” Bush told reporters after a White House meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Earlier, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice used more forceful language, calling the past few years of Mugabe’s presidency an “abomination” and urging his African neighbors to “step up” and confront the government’s campaign of arrests and intimidation since the elections. In Zimbabwe late Thursday, residents said dozens of people were rounded up and beaten at a shopping center in Chitungwiza, a suburb of the capital Harare. Among them was the head of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, Matthew Takaona. Independent tallies suggest Tsvangirai won the election, but not with enough votes to avoid a runoff. The electoral commission says it cannot yet release results because it is still verifying ballots and investigating anomalies.

The opposition says Tsvangirai won outright and accuses Mugabe of engineering a delay to secure his 28-year grip on power.

Despite concerns about mounting tensions inside Zimbabwe, Maseko said South Africa cannot intervene to prevent a shipment of weapons from being transported through its territory to its landlocked neighbor as long as administrative papers are in order.