Calls by Zimbabwe’s opposition for a national strike on Tuesday to protest against the authorities’ failure to release election results met a lacklustre response, reflecting what even activists concede is the difficulty of taking on the state on the streets.

On the diplomatic front, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change had a boost when the ruling party in South Africa, the region’s dominant power, distanced itself from the “quiet diplomacy” of the country’s president, Thabo Mbeki.