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M. Continuo

Zimbabwe TV says MDC supporters shoot ZANU-PF members


    HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's state-owned television said on Saturday two ruling ZANU-PF party members had been shot dead by suspected opposition supporters in a rural district that has been gripped by political violence.

    The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) deniedany involvement in the shooting.

    The MDC says more than 50 people have been killed inelection-related attacks since March, blaming elements withinZANU-PF for the bloodshed. President Robert Mugabe says MDCsupporters are responsible.

    The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) said two rulingparty members were shot dead on Friday in rural Mutokodistrict, one of ZANU-PF's strongholds about 140 km (85 miles)east of Harare that has witnessed several cases of politicalviolence in the aftermath of March 29 general elections.

    "Suspected MDC supporters shot and killed two ZANU-PFwomen's league members in Mutoko ... raising fears that theycould have been targeted as the MDC intensifies its campaign tointimidate ruling party supporters," ZBC said, adding policehad confirmed the shooting and were investigating.

    There was no immediate comment from the police.

    MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa rejected the charges saying"that is a lie". "Where will our people get guns. That is utterrubbish," he told Reuters.

    Chamisa said police in Hwange and Victoria Falls town inwestern Zimbabwe had earlier stopped MDC leader MorganTsvangirai from addressing his first rallies since his returnfrom South Africa last week.

    The MDC leader is trying to galvanise support across partylines as he prepares to face Mugabe in a June 27 presidentialrun-off election. Tsvangirai won a first presidential poll inMarch but fell short of the margin needed for outright victory.

    The opposition and rights groups have accused Mugabe andhis officials of trying to intimidate opponents ahead of thevote. They also fear that his government will rig the resultsof the poll, as it is accused of doing in past elections.

    Mugabe and Tsvangirai say they are confident of victory.

    "I spoke to him (Tsvangirai) and he told me he wasprevented from holding the rallies. The police told him thatthey were instructed that rallies would be held after therunoff," Chamisa said.

    (Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Ralph Boulton)