A Chinese ship carrying weapons to Zimbabwe is to be recalled after ports in neighbouring countries refused to unload the cargo amid fears it was planned for use against political opponents of President Robert Mugabe.

The An Yue Jiang, carrying 77 tonnes of assault rifle ammunition, mortars and rifle grenades, was to return from southern Africa on the decision of the Chinese company involved, foreign ministry officials said.

The arms shipment had faced strong criticism from the international community and regional neighbours over the likelihood it would be used to suppress opponents in Zimbabwe’s ongoing election crisis.

But Chinese officials defended the shipment, saying the contract had been signed long before recent events and was part of normal trade.

The recall was forced after South African port workers refused to unload the ship, which was carrying three million rounds of assault rifle ammunition, 3,000 mortar rounds and 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades, according to an inventory published by a South African newspaper.

On the urging of neighbouring Zambia, other countries in the region then followed suit, barring it from docking at their ports.

Yesterday, Gordon Brown called for an arms embargo on the Mugabe regime, which has delayed the release of results from the presidential election last month in an apparent attempt to cling to power. The outcome of a parliamentary poll, which saw the ruling Zanu-PF lose its majority for the first time, is also in doubt after the government ordered recounts in several seats.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change claims that its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, won the vote and that Mr Mugabe is preparing to rig the results. It says that pro-Mugabe militia have killed at least 10 of its members and attacked hundreds more in a crackdown aimed at quelling political opposition.

Though Zanu-PF denies such claims, church leaders in the country issued a statement earlier this week warning of full-blown genocide if the international community did not intervene.

The European Union already has an arms embargo against Zimbabwe, part of a sanction scheme in place since 2002, while the United States has also imposed sanctions.

But today, Jacob Zuma, leader of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress, said it was not yet time for an arms embargo. “I don’t think we have reached the stage for arms embargo, I think it is going too far and I think it complicates a situation that needs to be handled with great care,” Mr Zuma told a press briefing in London, where he has been in talks with Mr Brown.

“Swearing” at Mr Mugabe from overseas was not a productive way to handle the matter, he said, in an apparent swipe at Mr Brown, whose criticism of the Zimbabwean leader has been portrayed within the country as the imperialist interference of a former colonial power.

Nevertheless, Mr Zuma has emerged as one of the most outspoken African leaders on Zimbabwe and is distancing himself from the much-criticised “quiet diplomacy” strategy of South African President Thabo Mbeki.

Today he praised dockers in the South African port of Durban for their refusal to unload the Chinese ammunition.

“That was a very appropriate response,” he said.

Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu said today that he supported every effort made to prevent arms flowing into the country. He also called on African leaders to convince Zimbabwe’s veteran strongman to step down.

“I want to call on African leaders to show that they really care by speaking quietly to Mr Mugabe and say: ’Step down, you’ve been there for 20 years, man’,” the archbishop told reporters in the South African university town of Stellenbosch.

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