Audio: interview with Morgan Tsvangirai

Armed supporters of Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu (PF) party today chased away two journalists from The Times as they tried to report on the election campaign.

As the reporters stopped outside the Zanu (PF) headquarters, a truckload of Zanu (PF) militia warned them off and pursued in them in a vehicle chase. In a video report from their speeding car, the journalists described what was happening.

"We're now in a car chase for the second time in two days with Zanu (PF), who saw us trying to film near their headquarters and we are going to try and lose them," said Catherine Philp, the Times reporter.

"They were pretty aggressive and we know that the police will not help us out of this situation, so our only option really is to flee them."

After a tense few minutes, their car safely outdistanced the truck. The reporter added: "We were trying to show you that the terror isn't just in the countryside but in the city. But the story rather came to us when a truckful of Zanu (PF) militia rocked up and we had to take off, and there was the car chase that you saw.

"This kind of intimidation is all around. Everywhere you see Zanu (PF) posters that people have put on their cars and Zanu (PF) T-shirts that they are wearing in order to escape detection or suspicion of being an opposition supporter."

One voter told the journalists that he was wearing a bandanna in the Zanu (PF) colours "for security", even though he was supporting the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. The only signs that tomorrow's second round presidential run-off was until recently a two-horse race was MDC graffiti scrawled across a Zanu (PF) poster, the reporters said.

So far a campaign of violence and intimidation by the Zimbabwe security forces has resulted in an estimated 90 deaths among MDC activists and their families, and thousands more have been beaten and even tortured. Tens of thousands have been rounded up and taken by truck to forced re-education camps where they are beaten, forced to sing Zanu (PF) anthems and instructed how to vote.

Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader, withdrew from the presidential election last Sunday in response to the violence, leaving Mr Mugabe the only active candidate. Mr Tsvangirai's name remains on the ballot paper however, and some Zimbabweans appear still determined to vote for him.

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