Zimbabwe opposition activists 'fear for their lives'

Supporters of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai say they have been targeted. Credit: REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

Zimbabwean opposition activists claim they fear for their lives following the re-election of Robert Mugabe as the country's president. South African leader Jacob Zuma today congratulated Mr Mugabe on his victory while Britain and the US have expressed concerns about the poll.

From Harare, our Africa correspondent Rohit Kachroo reports.

Mugabe's main rival, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) leader Morgan Tsvangirai has dismissed the landslide victory as a "huge farce" and claimed there is evidence to show that his party won the election. He said it will exhaust all legal remedies to challenge the result.

Read more: Concerns over Mugabe vote win

MDC-T activists inside the opposition headquarters in Harare have told ITV News they were forced out of their homes by Mugabe supporters. They say President Mugabe rigged the results before polls even opened.

UK Ambassador to Zimbabwe Deborah Bronnert said she witnessed many voters being turned away at a Harare polling station on election day.

"Where I was, 526 people voted but 189 were turned away. In that polling station, three-quarters voted for Tsvangirai. It seems that highest number of turn-aways happened in urban areas which are MDC-T strongholds," she said.