ANGUS SHAW, HARARE

Police have banned all political rallies in Zimbabwe in what the opposition say is part of a violent crackdown by the Mugabe government on its opponents.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown last night said the international community's patience with President Robert Mugabe's regime is "wearing thin". A statement from the prime minister's office said Mr Brown is "appalled by the signs that the regime is once again resorting to intimidation and violence".

Zimbabwe's neighbours are holding an emergency summit in Zambia today in a bid to find a solution to the crisis which has yet to see presidential election results declared two weeks after voting closed. However, last night it was not clear whether Mr Mugabe would even attend the meeting.

Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change has held no major protests since the vote, but party officials had planned a rally tomorrow, a day before an expected High Court ruling on their petition to force the release of the results.

Yesterday, the police said they were banning all such rallies.

"All political parties are warned against creating mayhem," Senior Assistant Police Commissioner Faustino Mazango said. "Surely, those who want to provoke a breach of peace, whoever they are and whatever office they hold, will be dealt with severely."