Robert Mugabe will not step down as President, even if he loses to Morgan Tsvangirai in the June 27 presidential run-off election, Mugabe's wife Grace claimed on Thursday.

Accompanying Mugabe on a rather cynical tour of victims of political violence in rural Shamva, Grace confirmed what a lot of Zimbabweans suspect, that Mugabe will never concede defeat. She boasted; 'Even if people vote for the MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai will never step foot inside State House. He will only get to hear about what it looks like inside State House from people who have been there. Even if Baba (Mugabe) loses, he will only leave State House to make way for someone from ZANU-PF'.

Mugabe and his wife visited a homestead allegedly burned down by MDC supporters. 'What we saw really touched us. We are not animals but humans. If you burn down someone's house you want to destroy their life,' the Zanu PF leader said. This is despite his regime unleashing a terror campaign countrywide that has claimed the lives of 50 MDC activists and influential party officials, and has been responsible for burning down thousands of MDC supporters homes in villages. The violence immediately followed Zanu PF and Mugabe's defeat in the March 29 election. Claims by Mugabe that the MDC is behind the violence have exposed his desperation and the visit to victims of his own violence offended many.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa reacted furiously to Mugabe's tour claiming he was shedding crocodile tears. He said the people Mugabe was visiting were MDC supporters and they knew exactly who was behind the violence. Other commentators have said suggestions that un-armed villagers could take on Zanu PF supporters backed by the army and police are ludicrous.

Meanwhile South Africa's African Christian Democratic Party has expressed concern that the remarks attributed to Grace Mugabe will undermine the election process in Zimbabwe. Reverend Kenneth Meshoe who heads the party said; 'For her, on behalf of Zanu-PF, to say they will not accept any loss that might be the wish of the people of Zimbabwe, exposes a flawed mentality that expects liberation movements to be in power for ever.' Rev Meshoe said SADC leaders should take note of the threats and 'make it clear to Mugabe and his party that such assertions are unacceptable for a country whose people are yearning for freedom, justice and a true democracy.'

Former MDC MP for Zengeza, Tafadzwa Musekiwa, told Newsreel that comments from Grace Mugabe were clearly directed at the rural voters she was addressing and not the urban ones. He said she was desperately trying to influence them into voting for Mugabe by making it look pointless to vote for Tsvangirai. Musekiwa pointed to the contradiction with Mugabe's chief election agent, Emerson Mnangagwa. He had said that Mugabe would accept defeat - but even that assurance doesn't ring true considering the fact that Mnangagwa is co-ordinating the violence campaign.