Harare — Zimbabwe's electoral body has started receiving postal votes from diplomats, soldiers and police officers ahead of this weekend's combined presidential, parliamentary and municipal polls amid growing fears of massive rigging.

This coincided with revelations by President Robert Mugabe's main challengers, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and Dr Simba Makoni, an independent candidate that they unearthed plans to rig the poll set for Saturday in favour of the ruling Zanu PF.

Mr Tendai Biti, the secretary general of the Mr Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC said they had unearthed evidence showing that 600,000 postal ballots were requisitioned for a few thousand soldiers, police and civil servants away from their home districts and for diplomats and their families abroad.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission had said only 8,000 people had applied to use postal votes, which have become a major source of misunderstandings.