Leave Us Alone, Zimbabwe Tells West

Republic of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and First Lady Amai Grace at the ZANU-PF campaign launch in Highfield. The rally took place on July 5, 2013., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Leave us alone, West told

Tuesday, 16 July 2013 00:21
Lloyd Gumbo Herald Reporter

PREPARATIONS for harmonised elections have reached a point of no return despite spirited attempts by MDC formations and the British government to have them postponed with only two weeks to go, President Mugabe has said.

Ballots for members of the Council of Chiefs were cast last week, while special voting for uniformed forces and civil servants who will be on duty on polling day was set to end last night.

The President made the remarks while addressing a Mashonaland East star rally that drew tens of thousands of people outside Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera yesterday.

The revolutionary party opted for the open space outside the stadium after realising that the multitudes who came for the rally would not fit in the 5 000-seater stadium that hosted an MDC-T star rally last week.

President Mugabe revealed that the MDC formations recently petitioned the African Union to push for poll delay after their attempt to have Sadc call for a postponement failed.

“Iye zvino vakaendesa nyaya yacho kupi? Zvayakatadzwa kuSadc yavakunzi yavakuenda kuAU yaiva OAU (Organisation of African Union) yedu. Saka tirikuti VaChinamasa (Patrick) vogadzirira musi wa19 (July), kunotaura kuti aaah election haiitwe postpone. Yopostponwa patiri ipopano?

“Ndopavangationa ipapo. Hazvife zvakaitika. Nevarungu nemaBritish. The dishonest and absolutely deceitful British are supporting that.

“Democracy, no! Democracy requires that constitutionally every five years your Constitution says we must have elections and the country is now due for another election. And this is an election we must have by July 31. That will not change.”

The President castigated MDC leader Professor Welshman Ncube for believing that the AU could influence the country’s electoral processes when they could have approached the courts here.

He said the harmonised elections presented an opportunity for Zimbabweans to remember the significance of April 18, 1980 when the country’s flag was hoisted as the British one was brought down.

Zimbabweans, said the President, must vote for Zanu-PF to preserve the country’s independence and to show the whole world that Zimbabwe will never be a colony again.

The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces took a swipe at the British government for its continued attempts to interfere in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs.

“MaBritish mungaite zeve-zeve. Your talk, nonsensical talk about your preparations to manage transition in Zimbabwe. What nonsensical transition are you talking about?

“There shall never be any transition from the rule of our people to any other. Hapana kuchinjwa kunovapo. Simba revanhu ratakakupai 1980 richaramba riripo rakabata Zimbabwe.

“Hazvichinje. There will never be that nonsensical British transition. Keep it to yourselves, filthy aggressors! Hatidi izvozvo! Leave us alone. Tavakuzvitonga.

“Ivhu riri pauri paugere rinoramba richiti Zimbabwe ndeyako. Zimbabwe ndini. Zimbabwe ndeyako, Zimbabwe ndini.

“Pawakatsika pose-pose, kana ukakwira mumuti unodaro uchiti Zimbabwe ndeyako, Zimbabwe ndini, Zimbabwe ndeyako, Zimbabwe ndini.

“Hapana chisiri chedu. Shiri dzesango dzakawanda dzinenge dzichitiwo Zimbabwe ndeyedu, Zimbabwe ndini,” President Mugabe said.

The country’s resources, President Mugabe said, must benefit its citizens and not foreigners who have been siphoning minerals here while indigenous citizens remained poor.

He said successive Zanu-PF Governments did a lot for the education sector since Independence in 1980.

President Mugabe said a lot of professionals had been produced as a result of investment in the education sector.

Despite over a decade of sanctions which affected funding, Zimbabwe has retained pole position in terms of literacy in Africa due to the solid foundation laid by Zanu-PF since independence.

According to the latest results by African Economist magazine the country’s literacy rate stands at 90,9 percent-the only country on the continent with a literacy rate of over 90 percent.

The President said the land reform programme was meant to empower landless black Zimbabweans whose land had been stolen by the colonialists.

President Mugabe said together with the late national hero and Vice President Dr Joshua Nkomo they made it clear during the Lancaster House Constitutional Conference that land would be redistributed to landless blacks to which the erstwhile colonisers had pledged to compensate the white former farmers.

He said farmers needed support from the financial sector but bemoaned high interest rates being charged by banks.

The Zanu-PF Government after the elections, President Mugabe said, would ensure the financial sector provided loans at low and affordable rates.

He said resettled farmers must use their land and should never lease out their farms to white former commercial farmers.

“Nyaya yandirikutaura apa ndeyekuti isu ngative vanhu vanoda kuzviitira. Zvino tikati tava nemureza taramba wemaBritish asi nerweseri toenda tichiti varungu dzokayi.

Varungu huyai kumapurazi. Watadza kumaneja purazi rako? Kana watadza dura kuti randikurira tocheka nepakati topa kune vamwe. Hazvinyarwe kana rakurisa rakurisa. Tokupa paunokwanisawo. Kana riri dambudziko rekuti urikushaya zvekushandisa wotaura togadzirisa isu kumabhanga kuti vakupe maloan kwete kunodaidza zvekare ivo vatati chibvai muno vakomana tamboti tinosangana nekuda kwaMwari. Aiwa hatidi saka ndozvandati nditaure,” said the President.

The President hailed some of the resettled farmers especially tobacco farmers whom he said were doing well.

President Mugabe said if future generations gave back land to the country’s former colonisers, all the country’s liberators would rise from their graves and haunt them.

He blasted MDC-T secretary general and Finance Minister Tendai Biti for allegedly misappropriating the US$500 million Zimbabwe got from the International Monetary Fund.

President Mugabe said Mr Biti was told to use the money to resuscitate companies that were closing down but up to now it was not clear what the money was used for.

He castigated MDC-T led local authorities for failing to deliver requisite services.

The President was informed that some residents from Marondera were on the verge of losing their properties after MDC-T councilors misled them that if they voted for them they would not have to pay their rates.

The rates, it was said, were not paid and for that reason, the local authority wants to attach their properties.

But President Mugabe said he would not allow the houses to be sold on account of outstanding utility bills.

He said it was clear for everyone to see that most people were struggling to make ends meet, thus there was need for local authorities to come up with payment plans affordable to residents.

The President said maize would be distributed to all areas that failed to harvest enough food throughout the country.

Zanu-PF, he said, does not want anyone to die of hunger hence people must vote the revolutionary party back in power because it is people-oriented.

He said the change mantra being peddled by MDC-T lacked substance.

He said the inclusive Government gave Zimbabweans an opportunity to judge the MDC-T based on its performance and activities during the four and half years of its involvement in governance.

President Mugabe left the bumper crowd in stitches when he said Zanu-PF would facilitate the change MDC-T has been clamoring for by changing party leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai from being Prime Minister to an ordinary citizen.

“Iye Tsvangirai zvino zvaakambova Prime Ministerka varimufree ride yechariot yaVaMugabe. Tinotenda, anotenda kuti akadzidza zvakawanda. Ehe, ko takati kana vanhu vari vako kunyangwe vari vatengesi ndevako. Ungavadzore? Vakafundawo zvavakafunda. Wakava Prime Ministerka, tava kukuchinja. Tovamba newe kuratidza vanhu chinja. Chinja begins with you. Rovamba nekwarakadzvarwa timboona kuti kuchafamba sei ikoko,” said President Mugabe drawing laughter from the crowd.

He urged young party cadres to carry the torch of the revolution forward adding that most of the senior party leaders were nearing their end.

President Mugabe said there was no going back on the indigenisation drive that the revolutionary party has embarked on.

He said the exercise would be moving to other areas like safaris where the wildlife sector has so far been spared.

President Mugabe said as the country’s population increased, some of the wildlife land would be reduced to give to landless citizens.

President Mugabe said the party’s primary elections were successful though there were concerns in some areas that things did not go according to their wishes.

“Kungoti chete vanhu havazotora zvimwe zvido zvatinazvo. Zvino kana muchivhotera vanhu muchida kuti vanhu ivavo vazonge vachisarudzwa kuti vave maministers munenge muchitipawoka vanhu vaneruzivo rwakati kuti. Hatingotore wese wese kuti ave minister imiwee, aah.

“Angave munhu zvake anerudo rwavanhu, angave MP asi kuti ndizoti iwe woita minister weAgriculture ndinenge ndoti, ko, ndoda kuzivawo kuti fundo wakasvika papi nepapi. Asi muna 1980 handaikwanisa kudaro asi iyezvino 2013 nemauniversity atakaita awa, nefundo yedu yavapo, nembiri yatava nayo yokuti tisu tavakunzi tisu number one muAfrica. Tinenge todawo vane ruzivo irworwo runobva rwatiratidza zvemberi. Kumaengineers kumamines zvakadaro, kunana chiremba totorawoka vana chiremba vakafundira zvechidhokotera. Hatinganotori n’anga kwete nekuti inembiri kuvanhu. N’anga kana maida inoendawo kuParliament zvayo asi kuti ave Minister of Health aiwa,” said President Mugabe drawing laughter from the jubilant crowd.

The Zanu-PF First Secretary urged the party leadership to unite and listen to the needs of the people.

He said there were differences in almost all the country’s 10 provinces within the party leadership.

“Ngatitaurirane patinosiyana hongu. Titaurirane patinonzwanana kuti titungamirire vanhu zvakakwana. Izvi ndinozvitaurira vose vema provinces ose nekuti ndinoona kuti vatungumairi kwese kwandinofamba vanorwisana vanhu vachiona izvozvo. Vanhu vachibva vati isu tinosapota ngana tinosapota ngana. Division of the leadership, results in division of the people hatidi izvozvo. Batanai, batanai, batanai. Mubatane sezvamakaita izvi,” said the President.

He said Zimbabweans must unite regardless of tribe or whatever identity one belongs to.

The President spoke against politically-motivated violence saying there was no need for people to fight.

He said it was important for Zimbabweans to uphold the non violence message left by the late national hero and Vice President Dr John Landa Nkomo.

“Peace begins with me, it begins with you my friend, it begins with all of us. Handiti. No violence. Ko chaticharwira chii? Your weapon is your vote. The vote is your weapon. Moikanda iyoyo musi wa31.

Tinovimba musi wa 31 vhoti yamuchakanda ivhote yeZanu-PF. Zanu-PF President, Zanu-PF member yemember yeconstituency yenyu akakumirirai, Zanu-PF makanzera edu. Makanzera aya ekudya mari, vasina ruzivo rwavanga vainarwo pasi navo,” he said.