Violence claims two more lives

Meanwhile, the official daily, ‘The Herald’ reported the death of Mechia Kufakwadziya, a campaign manager for the ruling party candidate in the Beatrice District east of the capital, Harare, where a number of farms have been occupied. The newspaper blamed MDC supporters for shooting him.

But news reports on Tuesday quoted police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena as saying Kufakwadziya, 66, had died after being shot in the stomach by supporters of a rival ruling party candidate who had lost his candidacy in primary elections.

In the second incident, the independent ‘Daily News’ reported that a farm worker had been killed by a group of veterans and ruling party supporters at the Wildebeest farm in Shurugwi, south of Harare. Their deaths bring the total number of people killed, according to local news reports, to at least 26, most of them MDC supporters. The police, however, reported that in 220 clashes between supporters of rival factions and incidents on farms, 10 people had so far lost their lives.

Senior Assistant Police Commissioner John Zvimba told a news conference on Tuesday: “From our position we are satisfied that we will be able to cover all corners of the country where ballots will be cast. I would like to assure the nation that we are ready to deploy.”