Zanu fears defeat

residential candidate.
Opposition officials have said the offer is likely to be rejected, given the unanimous feeling in the MDC that they couldn’t work with Mugabe. Opposition spokesman Nelson Chamisa interprets the move as a sign that the government is running scared, and predicts a landslide opposition victory.
Conscious of the gathering behind-the-scenes momentum on SA President Thabo Mbeki’s mediation initiative, leading Zanu (PF) politicians have reportedly warned state terror agents, including the police, to relax their campaign of violence against the opposition to give some semblance of compliance with the mediation ground rules.
But this has not happened. In the past few days there have been many acts of violence against the MDC, and aggressive disruption of its meetings.
Observers say there is no doubt that the ferocity of the Zanu (PF) intimidation is related to the government’s fear of losing the election.
Despite energetic denials, our sources insist that senior army officers and retired generals have held secret discussions with the movement’s leaders, assuring them they would accept the authority of any duly elected government, and thereby playing down fears of a pro-Mugabe coup if Zanu (PF) loses in next year’s poll. – Chief Reporter