Zimbabwe's legal `mistake'

THE ZIMBABWEAN government said that a law gazetted last week limiting political and public gatherings and extending curbs on strike action was published by mistake.

Rights groups had denounced the law as a stealthy introduction of a state of emergency. "None of the instruments was seen or approved by the responsible minister or the President, so ... their publication was invalid and does not represent the policy of the government," the Attorney-General, Patrick Chinamasa, said in a statement. The rules were published amid threats by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) to call a five-day work stoppage to press demands for tax cuts.