By Cris Chinaka
HARARE (Reuters) - Veterans of Zimbabwe's liberation warwarned a former ally of President Robert Mugabe who will runagainst him in next month's elections that he was a traitor,government newspapers reported on Wednesday.
Former finance minister Simba Makoni, a senior member ofZANU-PF, entered the presidential race on Tuesday, in the firstmajor challenge to Mugabe from within the ruling party in 20years.
He had been expected to register for the poll on Friday butZimbabwe authorities moved the nomination date to February 15after some politicians won a court order to delay the process.
On Wednesday, Zimbabwe's government-controlled mediabranded Makoni a British and American-sponsored puppet seekingto split ZANU-PF and oust Mugabe.
Joseph Chinotimba, deputy leader of the war veterans, wasquoted as saying that Makoni was a political turncoat who wouldsuffer a humiliating defeat in the March 29 general election.
"We are now going to campaign vigorously for PresidentMugabe. I feel sorry for Makoni, he has lost the politicalplot," Chinotimba told the Herald newspaper.
"From today to the nomination date we will have finishedwith them. Traitors should know that ZANU-PF has a history ofdealing harshly with their kind," he said.
Chinotimba said Mugabe's war veteran supporters -- who haveanchored Mugabe's election campaigns since 2000 -- would notallow Makoni and his supporters to enter the party's offices.
"We are calling on all war veterans to take control of theparty," he said.
War veterans, who fought in the 1970s conflict, along withmembers of ZANU-PF, have turned violent in the past in supportof Mugabe. There are 30,000 war veterans in Zimbabwe.
Makoni will run as an independent because, according toZANU-PF rules, he will be automatically expelled from theparty.
Political analysts say Makoni is popular with the businesscommunity and urban voters disenchanted with Mugabe and themain opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) but doubthe has the muscle to defeat the veteran Zimbabwean leader.
Zimbabwe's privately owned media has reported that Makoniis backed by a faction led by retired army general and memberof the ruling ZANU-PF party's top decision-making body, SolomonMujuru. Mujuru is married to Vice President Joyce Mujuru.
Makoni said he had consulted party members and activistsacross Zimbabwe before deciding to run. Despite economicturmoil, 83-year-old Mugabe had been expected to defeat thedivided opposition in the election.
Analysts say shortages of food, foreign currency and fuel,and the world's highest inflation rate -- officially pegged at26,000 percent -- are the biggest challenge to Mugabe's rule.
But the opposition has failed to capitalise on Mugabe'sfailure to ease the crisis and it remains to be seen if dailyhardships will push Zimbabweans to support Makoni.
(Editing by Michael Georgy and Catherine Evans)