Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai deplored widespread poverty on Wednesday as he visited townships around the capital Harare in his campaign for the presidency in elections next month.

Without directly blaming incumbent President Robert Mugabe for the plight of his countrymen, Tsvangirai said only political change could reverse their economic hardship.

"The election on 29 March... what is the objective of that election. To me it's very, very simple. It's to give all these people hope that the change that is coming is one that they can trust," he said.

"It is the change that will make a difference in their lives. You have seen... evidence of poverty infrastructure decay including sewage. You have seen massive unemployment, all these young people around here are unemployed and the people are hungry and angry because there appears to be no solution to their problems."

Tsvangirai was touring the high-density suburbs of Mufakose, Kambuzuma and Kuwadzana, home to many of Harare's poorest residents.

"It's obvious that the poverty among the people has deepened," he said afterwards.

Zimbabwe's crumbling economy is expected to feature highly in the election campaigns of those contesting joint presidential and parliamentary elections next month.

With the economy on a downturn for the past eight years, the country's official exchange rate recently skyrocketed to over 100 000 percent — a world record.

Once the breadbasket of Africa, about 80 percent of the population is now estimated to be living below the poverty threshold as many skip meals or strike basic foodstuffs off their shopping lists.

Mugabe (84) is widely blamed for the state of affairs for his controversial land reform policies that all but killed commercial agriculture and scared off foreign investors.

Tsvangirai is challenging the veteran Mugabe in a four-horse race for the presidency that also includes former finance minister Simba Makoni and Langton Towungana, an obscure independent candidate.

AFP

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