Zimbabwe opposition accuses Mugabe of de facto coup

Zimbabwe's opposition accused President Robert Mugabe yesterday of carrying out a de facto coup to stay in power and said pro-democracy activists were in danger of their lives.

Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Mr Mugabe, who has held power since independence in 1980, would be ousted with the help of other African nations.

"We'll manage to get Mr Mugabe out. Mr Mugabe is being deserted. No one wants to touch Mugabe in the region now. Eventually, we will ease him out," Mr Tsvangirai told Time Magazine. He spoke ahead of an emergency southern African summit called for Lusaka at the weekend to discuss growing fears the post election deadlock could lead to bloodshed in Zimbabwe, already suffering economic collapse.

Mr Tsvangirai's MDC accuses Mr Mugabe, 84, of prolonging a long delay in issuing the results of a March 29 presidential election while he organises a violent response to his biggest defeat since taking power after independence from Britain.

Mr Mugabe's ZANU-PF party lost control of parliament for the first time in the election but no results of the parallel presidential vote have been issued.

"This is, in a sense, a de facto military coup. They have rolled out military forces across the whole country, to prepare for a run-off and try to cow the population. It's an attempt to try to create conditions for Mugabe to win," Tsvangirai said.

MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti told a news conference in Johannesburg: "Quite clearly the situation at home is volatile. The lives of all pro-democracy actors are not safe."