Mugabe's opponents keep up pressure for his removal

Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader has urged the South African president to use his influence and persuade Robert Mugabe to stand down.

Morgan Tsvangirai, head of the Movement for Democratic Change, claims victory in Zimbabwe’s presidential election 13 days ago. The official results have still not been released.

Mr Tsvangirai met South Africa’s leader Thabo Mbeki yesterday to urge his backing.

“The meeting went well. We’re cautiously optimistic about the outcome,” said a party spokesman.

Mr Mbeki has been the chief regional mediator in Zimbabwe’s economic and political crisis.

Other African leaders have repeatedly deferred to his strategy of “quiet diplomacy” on dealing with Zimbabwe until recently.

Mugabe is accused of deliberately delaying the elections results to gain time to firmly rig any second ballot in his favour.

Both Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai plan to attend an emergency summit of southern African leaders in Zambia tomorrow to present their conflicting views of the crisis paralysing the country.

The MDC leadership has decided not to participate in any run-off presidential vote.

“More than ever the strategy of boycotting the election will work this time because there are only two candidates involved,” a spokesman said.

Mugabe’s deputy information minister Bright Matonga responded by saying he believed opposition politicians would be “cowards” if they did not contest a run-off.

The High Court will rule on Monday on an MDC request for the results to be released.

Mr Tsvangirai was travelling throughout the region to urge regional leaders to push Mugabe to resign.

He met Botswana’s president on Wednesday and plans to travel to Zambia later today ahead of the summit.

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has stood out as the only southern African leader to publicly criticise Mugabe’s policies, last year likening the country’s economy to “a sinking Titanic.”

Yesterday the influential Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference called for the appointment of a high-level mediator in Zimbabwe.