The Combined Harare Residents Association reports that ZANU-PF bused in party members to push through its agenda during constitutional outreach meetings held in Bindura's Central Business District this week.

Witnesses said that most of the participants came in a green Nissan Van, covered in dust, betraying the fact that it had come from the rural areas.

According to the Bindura Residents Association, many of the participants had photocopied mini-scripts which they did not quite understand, but which clearly represented ZANU-PF's political agenda. Residents said they were also intimidated by the presence of loyal ZANU-PF thugs and security agents, who usually initiate violence.

One Association member alleged that he had escaped abduction "by a whisker" after having made contributions that were considered to be anti- ZANU-PF during the meeting in Bindura.

Witnesses also said that this association member was saved by an SABC cameraman who distracted the security agents that were looking for him.

More reports came from Pishai Muchauraya, the MDCT spokesman in Manicaland. He said that the ZANU-PF politburo member, Mandi Chimene, and provincial chairperson Mark Madiro, were addressing villagers in many locations before the COPAC teams arrive. In some cases they are sitting in on the meetings and staring at participants in intimidating ways as they make their contributions.

Muchauraya said: "People know what this means. It is a warning for them to remember what happened during the last elections to those who supported the MDC."

The MDC-T spokesman said Chimene is a former head of Mugabe's notorious CIO agents in Rusape, and sometimes the intimidation and violence even takes place in the presence of police officials.

Meanwhile, ZANU-PF denied reports that its party members were disrupting constitutional outreach programmes, particularly in Chivi. In a report in the state-owned Herald newspaper on Wednesday, Zanu-PF Chivi-Mwenezi Senator Josaya Hungwe claimed that there was no truth in the reports.

Hungwe said: "Those reports are an act of mischief by those who peddle them and as a party we believe that those behind such allegations have a hidden agenda because there has never been any form of disturbances during the outreach programmes."

Responding to reports that Chivi Zanu-PF district co-ordinating committee chairman Sanders Magwizi was scaring away people suspected of supporting MDC-T, Hungwe said Magwizi was only "conscientising people on the party's position on certain constitutional issues." and "there was nothing sinister with lobbying people to take a certain position as long as there was no use of force."

The issue of violence and intimidation at the constitutional outreach was top of the agenda for the national executive bodies from the three main political parties, during their meeting to discuss national healing in Harare on Wednesday.

Asked whether the constitutional exercise was a waste of time, Muchauraya said: "I don't know whether we can give it the thumbs up. There are many people making an effort to come up with a new constitution, but as usual ZANU-PF wants to derail this because it their culture. But the will of the people will prevail."