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A third official of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has been arrested in just two days, raising fears within the opposition of a crackdown on its people.

Gift Mabena, an MDC Member of Parliament in Hwange West, is still in police custody after he was nabbed yesterday together with two supporters of his party.

They are all being held at Victoria Falls police station, according to Jestina Mukoko, director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), an NGO advocating for a peaceful poll, in Harare.

Mukoko said details were still sketchy, but the three men had not been charged by this afternoon.

The three are being accused of removing and destroying posters of officials of the Arthur Mutambara faction of the MDC.

The Mutambara faction, which also has top lawyer Welshman Ncube in its camp, is behind presidential candidate Simba Makoni, a former finance minister in the government of President Robert Mugabe.

On Monday police also arrested a South African pilot, Brent Smythe, and two other MDC members of parliament, Jameson Timba and Garikai Chuma.

Smythe, whom the local government media have referred to as "a British pilot", was arrested at Charles Prince Airport just outside Harare.

The two party officials were at the airport to brief Morgan Tsvangirai before he flew out for a number of rallies outside Harare, according to MDC spokesperson George Sibotshiwe.

The three are being represented by well-known Harare lawyer Innocent Chagonda of Arthurton and Cook, a top law firm in the capital.

It was not clear by today late if the men would be charged and what the charges would be. Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena has promised to issue a media statement by close of business.

As a result of the arrest and the impounding of the helicopter, Tsvangirai's campaign plans are hampered, according to Sibotshiwe, because he cannot travel between far-flung constituencies by road. The roads in most of rural Zimbabwe are terrible, with potholes. Some are not even tarred.

Mugabe meanwhile travels in a state jet and was in Chiredzi, towards the border with Mozambique, yesterday. He flew back to Harare the same day.

The ZPP also reported other incidents today, which include civil servants in Binga, Matabeleland North, refusing to be deployed as polling agents unless paid in advance. They are to be paid Z$1 billion (R1=Z$4,5 million) each.

The officials were to be deployed by Easter Monday, but the ZPP reported that the officials had still not gone to work by today, arguing that they did not want a repeat of the previous elections where they were not paid.

Efforts to get comment from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) proved futile today.

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