Seven election officials were arrested by Zimbabwean police yesterday for allegedly undercounting votes cast for President Robert Mugabe in the March 29 presidential elections.

The officials, who were working for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission in four provinces, will be charged with fraud.

“We’re still investigating, but we have established that there was deflation of figures in respect of the Zanu (PF) presidential candidate, Robert Mugabe,” Wayne Bvudzijena, a police spokesman, said.

Zimbabwe's High Court is due to rule today on an opposition petition demanding the immediate release of the presidential election results, which have yet to be published, 10 days after the polls closed. However, no decision had been issued by lunchtime.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has said it won the election with 50.3 per cent of the vote, just above the threshold to avoid a run-off ballot.

Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader, flew to South Africa yesterday to seek help in finding a solution to the stalemate. He met Jacob Zuma, the ANC leader, in Johannesberg, whose political rival President Thabo Mbeki has previously said there is no need for outside intervention in Zimbabwe.

At least 23 white-owned farms in Zimbabwe have been invaded by supporters of Mr Mugabe over a weekend of violence which saw the embattled President stoke fears of a new “white invasion” of Zimbabwe. The raids were carried out by so-called war veterans, the militias who led the first wave of farm seizures, sparking the collapse of Zimbabwe’s economy.

Mozambique’s President Armando Guebuza said his country was willing to house refugees from Zimbabwe in the event of post-election violence in the country.

Speaking at an event to mark Women’s Day celebrations in Maputo, Guebuza said his country would accept refugees. “We are thinking of the good of the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.

“The election process in Zimbabwe is not in an impasse. It appears to me that there are issues before the courts.

“Let’s wait for the outcome of the court case. We have to respect the sovereignty of Zimbabwe and for that we have leave it up to them to decide their own fate without us pressurising them.”

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