Mugabe thugs stone MDC rally

Young supporters of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe stoned and beat backers of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday, blocking a planned rally of his Movement for Democratic Change.

"Unfortunately we are unable to do this rally because of incredible acts of wanton violence, malicious violence, that we have suffered at the hands of Zanu-PF this morning," Tendai Biti, MDC secretary- general, told a news conference.

The rally, which Tsvangirai was to have addressed, was to have been held in the sprawling Harare suburb of Chitungwiza, 30km southeast of the capital.

Biti said seven MDC activists were admitted to hospital and five party vehicles were damaged.

"There are literally hundreds of people that have been beaten up, that have been stoned by Zanu-PF supporters. They have suffered bruises, tissue injuries, various degrees of injury," he said.

He said police failed to protect the MDC.

"They watched us as these Zanu-PF youths destroyed our property and assaulted our members," he said.

Police were not immediately available for comment.

Biti, who is also Zimbabwe's finance minister in the power-sharing government led by Mugabe and Tsvangirai, accused Zanu-PF of using violence to provoke fear in the run-up to elections expected as soon as next year.

"It is self-evident that Zanu-PF is already building up to the next election. It is quite clear that we are in a chaos scenario where they are unleashing violence," he said.

Zimbabwe's unity government has been riven by problems since it was formed in February 2009 after a bitterly disputed first round 2008 vote in which neither candidate won an absolute majority.

That election sparked attacks in which more than 200 MDC supporters were killed. Tsvangirai pulled out of the second round to end the violence.