Top official in Mugabe party backs election rival

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - A top official in Zimbabwe'sruling party said on Saturday he would support a mainchallenger to President Robert Mugabe in the March 29 election.

Dumiso Dabengwa, a senior politburo member in Mugabe'sZANU-PF, threw his weight behind former finance minister SimbaMakoni as he was set to launch his presidential campaign.

The move could significantly strengthen Makoni's bid todefeat Zimbabwe's veteran leader, who has been in power sinceindependence from Britain in 1980.

"We urged him (Makoni) to come clean and take the burdenand we will give him the necessary facilitation and support,"Dabengwa, a former home affairs minister, said.

Dabengwa, who was a commander in the liberation movementbefore independence, was speaking at a meeting between Makoniand business leaders in Zimbabwe's second city Bulawayo, whichhas voted for the opposition since 2000.

"It is not about his ability or strength. It's about thepeople of Zimbabwe and enabling them to chart the manner inwhich we can face the challenges," he said.

"All Makoni is doing is to create an environment where wecan say how we want our country to be governed."

Mugabe, 84, faces Makoni, who is standing as an independentafter being expelled from ZANU-PF, and Morgan Tsvangirai, along time rival from the main opposition Movement forDemocratic Change (MDC).

Mugabe has capitalised on a weak opposition to maintain atight grip on the country despite a severe economic crisis.

Zimbabwe's president denounced his opponents as charlatansand witches when he launched his election manifesto on Fridayand promised to give stakes in foreign-owned mines to locals.

Critics accuse Mugabe of wrecking Zimbabwe's economy but heaccuses Western foes, especially Britain, of working with theopposition to oust him in retaliation for his policy of seizingwhite-owned commercial farms to resettle landless blacks.

Mugabe promised in his manifesto to boost agriculturalproduction by continuing to equip those farmers who hadbenefited from the land grabs.

Mugabe's opponents have also made ambitious promises toease the economic crisis ravaging Zimbabweans, who are moreconcerned with battling the world's highest inflation rate ofmore than 100,000 percent and food and fuel shortages, thanpolitics.

The opposition's failure to unite behind a single candidatehas strengthened Mugabe's chances of re-election on March 29.

The MDC says Mugabe has fraudulently won previous electionsand unleashed violence against opposition supporters.

(Reporting by Nelson Banya; Writing by Michael Georgy,Editing by Robert Woodward)