Zim 'won't tolerate puppets'

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Harare - A Zimbabwean police chief says his force will not allow British and American "puppets" to take power in Zimbabwe, sending an ominous signal to opposition leaders ahead of March 29 polls, say reports.

Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri told officers at Police General Headquarters in Harare that he was sending "a warning" to "puppets", echoing President Robert Mugabe's label for his opponents.

"We will not allow any puppets to take charge," said Chihuri in comments carried by the state-controlled Herald newspaper.

Chihuri was the third service chief to come out in support of 84-year-old Mugabe, who was facing a stiff challenge to his 28-year old hold on power in national elections in just more than two weeks.

The longtime leader was being challenged by veteran opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and former finance minister Simba Makoni.

'I'll not salute opposition leader'

Last month, the commissioner of prisons Paradzayi Zimondi said he was giving officers under his command an order to vote for Mugabe.

And at the weekend, a private newspaper quoted defence forces chief Constantine Chiwenga as saying he would not salute an opposition leader.

The Zimbabwe police chief said on Thursday most senior police officers had benefited from Zimbabwe's controversial land reform programme.

He claimed that an opposition victory would reverse those gains. "Most of us in here are truly owners of the land. This is the sovereignty we should defend at all costs because for us to get at this point others had to lose their lives," Chihuri said.

"At this point our gains should never be reversed," he added, claiming he was not partisan.

Critics of Zimbabwes land reform programme said that many of the 4 000 or so white-owned farms that had been seized for redistribution to new black farmers since 2000, had gone to members of the ruling elite, including senior army and police officers.

Sapa-dpa

- SAPA