The scene at the official 28th Independence Day celebration yesterday had all the pomp of old, with air force jets sweeping overhead and Mugabe, bedecked in sash and medals, striding past soldiers at attention.

"There are black people who are putting prices up, but they are being used by the whites," Mugabe said. Whites "want the people to starve so they think the government is wrong and they should remove it."

He has ruled the country, formerly known as Rhodesia, since independence in 1980, but according to independent monitors failed to win reelection in the March 29 presidential vote.

The opposition and independent economists blame Mugabe's economic policies for the collapse of what once was southern Africa's breadbasket.

In Durban, South Africa, port and truck workers refused yesterday to unload from a Chinese ship a cargo of weapons destined for landlocked Zimbabwe.

China is one of Zimbabwe's key trade partners and allies.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions applauded the stance by the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union. It also reiterated its calls for Zimbabwean electoral officials to release the results of the presidential election.

"This vessel must return to China with the arms on board, as South Africa cannot be seen to be facilitating the flow of weapons into Zimbabwe at a time where there is a political dispute and a volatile situation," the union congress said in a statement.

Later yesterday, the ship and its cargo reportedly left for neighboring Mozambique.

Human-rights groups say increasing violence has been unleashed against Zimbabwe's opposition supporters in the post-election period. The independent group Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights says that at least 200 people have been severely injured in political violence, and that it is investigating at least two reported but unconfirmed deaths.

Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, archbishop of Durban and spokesman for the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, called yesterday for the South African government "not to allow any more arms and munitions to enter Zimbabwe through South Africa until an acceptable solution is found to the present situation."

The bishops also repeated appeals for an international mediator to intervene in Zimbabwe.

Independent tallies suggest opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai got the most votes on March 29, but not enough to win outright and avoid a runoff with Mugabe after a campaign in which the economy was the main issue.

Tsvangirai's opposition Movement for Democratic Change is accusing Mugabe of planning to hold onto power simply by refusing to release the election results.

Results of legislative elections held alongside the presidential ballot gave control of parliament to the opposition for the first time. But that victory is threatened by a recount set for today. Electoral officials say they found problems in 23 districts, most of which were won by opposition candidates.

An opposition attempt to stop the recount was blocked in court yesterday. Earlier this week, a court rejected an opposition appeal for the immediate release of the presidential election results. Courts here are stacked with Mugabe loyalists.