Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Sunday called on President Mugabe to ensure that his supporters stop perpetrating violence against Movement for Democratic Change party supporters.

The Premier was addressing thousands of MDC party supporters at Sakubva Stadium, Mutare.

He said Mugabe must not be allowed to get away with rhetoric on violence but must ensure that his party supporters abide by the law.

“I told President Mugabe that he must support his call on violence to seize with action. He must ensure that institutions of organised violence are dismantled,” Prime Minister Tsvangirai said.

Politically motivated violence claimed more than 500 MDC supporters’ lives in the run-up to the aborted June 2008 state-sponsored violence.

Civil society organisations, both local and international have castigated Mugabe’s previous regime for using the state’s security apparatus to perpetrate violence on defenceless citizens.

Prime Minister Tsvangirai told the peace rally that the regional bloc SADC last week endorsed the need for a clear roadmap with timelines to avoid another bloodshed in Zimbabwe.

“SADC has insisted the South African President Jacob Zuma will remain as Facilitator in the dialogue in this country. SADC has also said that the pending elections must be held in line with the bloc’s guidelines on elections, which means there must not be violence and that the elections must be free and fair,” Prime Minister Tsvangirai said.