Mugabe's foes plan strike in protest at violence

Zimbabwe's main trade-union federation yesterday said it was organising a three-day national strike next week to protest at political violence and lawlessness left mostly unchecked by thestate authorities.

Zimbabwe's main trade-union federation yesterday said it was organising a three-day national strike next week to protest at political violence and lawlessness left mostly unchecked by thestate authorities.

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions said the Wednesday-to-Friday stayaway was called "out of concern over lawlessness". Isaac Matonga, the organisation's acting president,said: "There's no law in this country."

White farmers and agriculture-based industries were preparing to shut on Monday to protest at the occupation by ruling-party militants of 1,600 properties but the federation was asking them to put their action back to Wednesday, Mr Matonga said. "We are consulting others so we can all join hands. To have an impact, we have got to do it together," he said. Labour groups needed until Tuesday to call the stoppage and set its structures in place, he added.

Violence and intimidation has disrupted production of food and cash crops, hurting the already ailing economy. The trade-union federation said it was calling the protest to force the government to end violence on farms and against workers in city townships that began in February in the run-up to last month's elections.

President Robert Mugabe's party won 62 of the 120 elected parliamentary seats, the party's biggest electoral challenge since independence in 1980. Violence triggered by farm occupations has left at least 32 people dead and thousands homeless. Most of the victims were opposition supporters; six of the dead were white farmers. ( AP)