HARARE, March 25 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe police on Tuesday arrested opposition officials and a pilot delivering campaign material for Saturday's general election at a small airport just outside Harare, a spokesman for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said.

An opposition parliamentary candidate representing Morgan Tsvangirai's faction of the MDC was among those arrested.

"One of our candidates, Jameson Timba, and his election agent Garikai Chuma were arrested this morning at Charles Prince airport as they were receiving campaign material," Luke Tamborinyoka, an official in Tsvangirai's MDC told Reuters.

"Apparently, the pilot was also caught up in the raid."

Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena declined to comment on the matter, saying he was yet to briefed.

Although opposition parties have said there were fewer cases of violence in the run-up to this week's poll, they have accused the police of siding with President Robert Mugabe and his ruling ZANU-PF party.

Earlier this month, the head of the country's police service vowed that "western puppets would never rule" Zimbabwe. Mugabe frequently accuses the MDC of being puppets of former colonisers Britain.

The March 29 polls present a major test for Mugabe's 28-year hold on power as he faces long time rival Tsvangirai and former finance minister Simba Makoni in a battle for the presidency. (Reporting by Nelson Banya, editing by Myra MacDonald)