Police in Zimbabwe have arrested the organisers of a major anti-government protest in Harare, it is reported.
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions President, Lovemore Matombo, and Secretary General Wellington Chibebe were among around 18 ZCTU members detained at the starting point of the rally in the capital, a union spokesman said.
The arrests came as part of a massive operation by the security services to thwart the unauthorised rally called to protest the economic crisis in the southern African country.
The crisis is blamed on veteran president Robert Mugabe.
Earlier, trade unions in Zimbabwe said they would lead strikes and marches across the country today to protest against a collapse in living standards.
The government in Harare declared the demonstrations illegal and warned that measures were in place to stop them.
The strike is supported by the Zimbabwean opposition, Movement for Democratic Change. Chairman Isaac Matongo said he feared the authorities could use violence to quell the protest.
