Nelson Mandela condemns Zimbabwe's leadership

Former South African leader Nelson Mandela on Wednesday joined a growing chorus of African officials criticizing Zimbabwe's leadership, further shaking longtime President Robert Mugabe's grip on power.

Mugabe, who long shrugged off Western criticism and sanctions, has seen hitherto staunch allies in Africa, as well as China, turn away one by one in recent days, leaving him facing nearly complete international isolation.

He has vowed to proceed with Friday's presidential runoff election despite the pullout of his main opponent because of political violence that has left 85 opposition supporters dead and more than 3,000 injured. Mugabe appeared determined to tough it out despite the foreign pressure, his lack of a majority in parliament and a collapsed economy, ruling party officials said.

Addressing a dinner in London, the iconic Mandela, who now rarely comments on politics, broke his silence to decry the "tragic failure of leadership" in Zimbabwe.

"We look back at much human progress, but we sadly note so much failing as well," he said, mentioning conflicts in the Middle East, Iraq and Darfur to the high-powered audience that included former President Clinton, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and actor Robert DeNiro.

"Nearer to home," Mandela continued, "we had seen the outbreak of violence against fellow Africans in our own country and the tragic failure of leadership in our neighboring Zimbabwe."

Another South African Nobel laureate and apartheid struggle figure, the Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, spoke out in stronger terms, telling Australian television that Mugabe had "mutated into something quite unbelievable. He has really turned into a kind of Frankenstein for his people."

Adding to the pressure on Zimbabwe, 300 opposition victims of political violence walked from a park in central Harare to the South African Embassy late Wednesday afternoon, where they sought asylum. They were among 1,300 activists who had taken refuge in the opposition headquarters from rampaging groups of ruling party supporters across Zimbabwe. They were left with nowhere to stay when the Movement for Democratic Change building was raided Monday.

Looking fearful as they walked, some carried their belongings in plastic sacks, some were limping, some had bandaged arms. Among them were women.