Harare - The Zimbabwean government is to take over six firms which closed their doors in support of last week's five-day "mass action" by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, industry minister Francis Nhema told state radio on Tuesday.
Nhema said the firm's operating licences will be cancelled. In addition expatriate staff employed by the firms would have their work permits revoked and face deportation.
He said eight other firms investigated by security police and government inspectors during the stayaway associated with the MDC protest had managed to give "reasonable excuse" for not doing business as normal.
Nhema did not give details of the firms, or the nationality of their owners, but he threatened to give them to "loyal, patriotic" new owners.
Legal and business sources were unaware which firms were being targeted but expected appeals to the courts if the authorities went ahead with seizures.
The MDC, led by veteran trades unionist Morgan Tsvangirai, hoped a "final push" would force the exit of President Robert Mugabe, 79, after 23 years in power.
However, the opposition were prevented from "bringing millions onto the streets" by the massive deployment of troops, tanks and helicopter gunships alongside ruling party militants.
The authorities allege the MDC are behind a dire shortage of banknotes which most economists associate with the 269 per cent runaway inflation here.
Police assistant commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena said police roadblocks were seizing large sums of notes. State radio said over 15-million Zimbabwe dollars (about R2-million) had been confiscated, allegedly intended to bribe youths to take part in anti-Mugabe protests.
Pro-government militants were Tuesday reported to have forced the closure of a private boarding school at Lilfordia, 50km west of Harare.
The self-styled "ex-guerilla war veterans" invaded the grounds, claiming that by temporarily closing during last week's protests, the school had taken a political position, reported the independently-owned Daily News. It said the 165 children had to be sent home.
Tsvangirai is due to appear in the High Court late on Monday to apply for bail on fresh charges of High Treason arising from his incitement of the mass protests. He is already the defendant in a long running trial arising from allegations he conspired to kill Mugabe in 2001. - Sapa-DPA