UK 'fuels' Zim election tension
27/02/2008 07:25  - (SA)  

Zim cops 'ready for poll unrest' So many candidates, only 4 Xs 'Zim needs $10bn' Mugabe to launch re-election bid SA will get Zim poll invite

Zimbabwe Special Report  Latest Zimbabwe Stories

Pretoria - Zimbabwe's government accused British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Tuesday of stoking political tensions ahead of its March 29 general election to try to force "regime change" in the southern African country.

In a briefing in Pretoria, Zimbabwe's ambassador to South Africa presented what he said was a letter from Brown to Britain's Law Society in which he was said to promise to continue funding Zimbabwean groups working for "democratic change".

"Clearly such effort is meant to fuel tensions towards the March 29 plebiscite in Zimbabwe," Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo told South Africa's Institute of Security Studies, an independent think-tank.

Law Society spokesperson Steve Rudaini confirmed that Brown had written to Andrew Holroyd, the group's president, concerning the situation in Zimbabwe. Rudaini said the letter was no longer available and had been previously published in error.

Zim 'will not allow interference'

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe frequently accused Western powers, especially former colonial ruler Britain, of working with the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the main opposition party, and others to oust his government.

Moyo on Tuesday said Britain and the United States were trying to bring about "regime change" in Zimbabwe and warned that Zimbabweans would not tolerate interference in their internal affairs.

The British and US governments had been sharply critical of Mugabe, accusing him of widespread human rights abuses, stifling dissent and destroying the economy of the once-prosperous nation during his 28-year rule.

They and other Western nations had imposed sanctions on Mugabe and his top officials.

The 84-year-old Zimbabwean leader was running for another five-year term in the elections next month. He had vowed to crush his rivals, including former finance minister Simba Makoni and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Makoni was running as an independent and claimed to have the backing of unidentified officials in Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF party. Makoni was formally expelled from Zanu-PF earlier this month for challenging Mugabe.

Both Makoni and Tsvangirai had promised to rescue Zimbabwe's economy, which had been devastated by annual inflation of more than 100 000%, unemployment of more than 80% and chronic food and fuel shortages.

Moyo said Mugabe's government would not context the results of the election if the MDC won the polls.

What is this?    Yahoo    Digg  Del.icio.us  Facebook Brought to you by OUTsurance Car Insurance News24 on mobile News24 on facebook profile