Zimbabwe opposition strike call falters

HARARE (Reuters) - A general strike called by Zimbabwe'sopposition to pressure authorities into releasing delayedpresidential election results faltered on Tuesday.

Fears of a fierce government crackdown and the desperateneed of many Zimbabweans to make enough money to subsist in theface of a collapsing economy seemed to have discouraged strongparticipation.

Banks, shops and offices in central Harare were open asmany workers ignored the call for an indefinite stoppage by theopposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Soldiers and police fanned out across Zimbabwe early in theday. Army trucks, some equipped with water cannon, movedthrough opposition strongholds around the capital Harare andriot police and other officers set up checkpoints.

Security eased significantly later as the strike callappeared to fizzle.

The MDC has declared victory in the March 29 presidentialelection and demanded that President Robert Mugabe step down tomake way for its leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

It accuses Mugabe's ZANU-PF of delaying the announcement ofthe presidential results to buy time to organise a violentresponse to his biggest setback since coming to power in 1980.

Official results show ZANU-PF lost control of parliament onMarch 29. Independent monitors say Tsvangirai also beat the84-year-old leader in the presidential vote but did not win theabsolute majority needed to avoid a second round runoff.

Many companies opened in Harare's main industrial district.

"We are open here because we don't want to attractattention to ourselves. Some workers have come and others havenot," said one shop floor supervisor at a tobacco processingfirm, who declined to be named.

"STRIKES DON'T WORK"

"I think there is general consensus that strikes don'twork, the government just ignores you and managers get intotrouble," he said.

The MDC accuses Mugabe of delaying the presidential resultso he can rig the election and organise a violent response toensure victory in a runoff against Tsvangirai.

Zimbabwe's Electoral Commission said it was still countingand verifying the presidential votes despite announcing theparliamentary result four days after the election.

On Monday, a Zimbabwean High Court rejected a legalapplication by the MDC to force out the result.

Tsvangirai said in an interview with South Africa's eTv tobe aired on Tuesday night that the decision was a "collaboratedeffort" to frustrate the will of Zimbabweans.

The MDC leader, who has described himself as a prime targetfor Mugabe's security forces, said his party would not appealagainst the verdict because it would further delay results.

But further delays are expected because of other legalmoves and a recount in 23 constituencies ordered for nextSaturday. The MDC is challenging that decision.

A lawyer, who asked not to be named, said the legal caseswould take another week and the result could emerge after that.

The threat of a tough security response has underminedprevious calls for protests.

Police beat dozens of MDC members and supporters, includingTsvangirai, during an aborted 2007 anti-government protest. Ageneral strike last year to protest against low wages andliving conditions also collapsed.

Police did not seem too concerned with possible trouble onTuesday.

In Harare's sprawling Highfield, Glen View and Glen Norahtownships, where police have previously stamped out oppositionprotests, there were few patrols.

Most businesses were open in the town of Chitungwiza, 30 km(20 miles) south of Harare. There was no sign of heavy policedeployment on roads or in its working class townships, wheremost shops opened.

But many public transport operators appeared to have keptbuses off the roads. Long queues formed in Chitungwiza asworkers tried to get to work. Early morning traffic was light.

Factories in the southern industrial district of Harare onthe route to Chitungwiza were open.

"We employ ourselves here, any day's work we lose hits ourpockets," said Patrick Daka, who runs a brick-making venturealong with four others.

Zimbabweans are facing inflation of more than 100,000percent, unemployment of 80 percent and rising poverty andmalnutrition. There are chronic shortages of food and fuelthroughout the country.

Southern African leaders said after a summit in Lusaka atthe weekend that the presidential results should be released"expeditiously".

(Additional reporting by Muchena Zigomo, Nelson Banya, CrisChinaka; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Barry Moody)