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MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has denied making crude comments about women at a rally in central Zimbabwe, and accused state media of putting words in his mouth.
The state-run Herald reported that Chamisa told a rally in Midlands province on Thursday that he was young and energetic enough "to score" with any woman in attendance.
An agenda
"We want young and energetic leaders like me. Is there anyone who can doubt that I am energetic? Just give me any woman here and see if I will fail to score," the Herald quoted him as saying.
The MDC accused state media of "an agenda to concoct lies" to alienate Chamisa from women voters.
"He never made any direct or inferred reference to impregnating any woman at the rally. All he said was that he will score many positives when elected to lead the country," Chamisa's spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka said in a statement.
Divergent views
Zimbabwe goes to the polls in two months' time, with Chamisa set to be the main challenger to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
This week the Media Institute of Southern Africa slammed unequal coverage of the political campaigns by tax-funded state media, including the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation. It called on Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chair, Priscilla Chigumba, to intervene to ensure fair coverage.
But commissioners say legally they can't approach media houses until an election date is proclaimed, which hasn’t happened yet.
Campaign promises
Chamisa, an eloquent speaker who can whip up huge rapport with crowds, has earned some criticism for making what critics say are wild campaign promises.
Earlier this month the 40-year-old lawyer had to issue an apology after he said at a MDC rally in the UK that he would give his young sister to Mnangagwa as a wife if the 75-year-old president got even five percent of the vote in a free and fair election.
