Tight security ahead of Zimbabwe poll

Highly-charged rallies preceded last June's election

Security has been beefed up in the troubled Bikita West province of Zimbabwe after the murder of a member of the ruling Zanu-PF party.

Police say they have erected roadblocks to check vehicles for arms and are conducting patrols of the area on foot.

We have increased our support unit details and we are closely monitoring the situation

Police spokesman Arthur Makanda

The murder of Bernard Gara comes just two weeks ahead of a parliamentary by-election in the district, some 350 kilometres (220 miles) south of the capital, Harare.

The Bitika West Governor, Joseph Hungwe, has criticised the police for failing to take firm action during a disturbance at a political rally on Sunday at which Mr Gara was stabbed to death.

Mr Hungwe said the police should have arrested four opposition members of parliament who, he said, were inciting the crowds during the rally.

Mr Gara, 42, had recently defected to the Zanu-PF from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Two MDC MPs - Rwenson Gasela and Willias Madzimure - were injured in the clashes.

Tense vote

No arrests have been made and police are investigating the stabbing and other cases of violence.

Voters backed the MDC in unprecedented numbers last June

Police say they are also investigating allegations that Zanu-PF militants, led by independence war veterans' leader Chenjerai Hunzvi, petrol-bombed a convoy of MDC officials.

Both parties accuse each other of resorting to violence to win the Bikita West seat.

It was won by the MDC in general elections in June, but fell vacant two months ago when the sitting MP died.

Zanu-PF, which has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, narrowly defeated the MDC in June. The MDC won an unprecedented 57 of 120 parliamentary seats.

At least 31 people, most of them MDC supporters, were killed in the run-up to the poll.

The violence came amid an invasion of hundreds of mostly white-owned farms by supporters of President Robert Mugabe.