HARARE - Zimbabwean police have prevented the opposition from staging two rallies in the resort towns of Hwange and Victoria Falls that were due to be addressed by its leader Morgan Tsvangirai, the party said yesterday.

HARARE - Zimbabwean police have prevented the opposition from staging two rallies in the resort towns of Hwange and Victoria Falls that were due to be addressed by its leader Morgan Tsvangirai, the party said yesterday.

The rallies were scheduled for Saturday but police blocked opposition supporters from entering into the two stadiums.

MDC chief spokesman Nelson Chamisa said: "The police are literally trying to be difficult, acting on the instructions of Zanu-PF."

President Robert Mugabe and Tsvangirai are due to square up in a run-off presidential election on June 27. Tsvangirai won a first round on March 29 but fell just short of an overall majority needed to topple Mugabe.

"They are trying to disenable us to reach out to the people," Chamisa said.

"This is a deliberate attempt to ensure that there is a blackout on our programmes so that the president (Tsvangirai) will not be visible on the ground to suit their propaganda and agenda."

Under the terms of an agreement mediated by President Thabo Mbeki in the run-up to the March 29 polls, the opposition was meant to be free to hold rallies after notifying the police beforehand.

Meanwhile, two Zanu-PF supporters have been shot dead, state radio reported on Saturday. - Sapa-AFP