Zimbabwe: President warns MDC-T
Posted: Tuesday, June 17, 2008Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Herald Reporters
President Mugabe has warned MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai and senior opposition officials that the Government will hold them responsible for the orgy of organised violence that has rocked some parts of the country and would soon invoke measures to curtail it.
Addressing thousands of Zanu-PF supporters at Siakobvu Business Centre in Kariba and Rimuka Stadium in Kadoma, President Mugabe said the Government had noted with grave concern the organised violence against people, especially Zanu-PF supporters, through the burning of houses and kidnappings, among other heinous crimes.
Government, he said, would soon invoke what is known in law as "vicarious responsibilities and liabilities" against MDC-T leaders and senior party officials saying the terror attacks were premeditated and organised, exposing them to liabilities.
"Zvino chitema chakaipisa cheMDC mweya wehuSatani wekupisa dzimba dzevanhu. Zvino zvikarega kumira watichanenera ndiTsvangirai nevamwe vake.
"These cases of arson, kidnappings and violence on people coming from the MDC have shown a definite pattern which we read across the country. There is a definite plan of violence, an organised system of violence aimed at disturbing law and order. Let them be warned that we will invoke what is known as vicarious responsibility and liability which means we will hold them responsible for the violence across the country," he explained.
This invocation, he said, was only applied in special circumstances that threaten to disturb peace.
President Mugabe explained that normally parents are not held responsible for the misdeeds of their children, but when their operations show an organised streak then people are left with no choice but suspect complicity by the parents.
"This wave of violence has to stop and Government would not allow people to suffer and for people to wantonly disturb law and order . . . we cannot allow it to continue."
Cde Mugabe made the remarks after he was briefed about the violence being perpetrated by MDC-T supporters in Mola communal lands where they have reportedly barricaded roads using logs and have gone on a spree of arson that has displaced people and left others injured.
Three people have since been arrested in connection with the disturbances while some MDC-T supporters have left the opposition party to rejoin Zanu-PF.
Mr Fanta Masaka said he rejoined the ruling party after realising that MDC-T had nothing to offer.
He said people should not vote with their stomachs and desire for such niceties as sugar because they did not match the heritage that President Mugabe and Zanu-PF has bequeathed to them through land redistribution and indigenisation programmes.
Turning to the forthcoming run-off, President Mugabe said he was chosen by the people at the 2004 Zanu-PF congress and he accepted to return the people's trust.
MDC-T, he said, dithered on whether to participate in the election while waiting for a signal from their masters in the West.
"VeMDC vakamboti hatidi, voti tinoda kunge musikana ari kunyengwa. Tsvangirai pazvakabuda kuti hapana ahwina akabva atizira kuBotswana uko akazongodzoka anzi naAmbassador wekuAmerica (James McGee) dzokera tikachiona chichidzoka chichimhanya. Akakumbira armoured car kubva kuBotswana namaguards asi vakati kwete kana uri murombo tinogona chete kukutengera ticket rendege rekuti udzoke kumusha ndokudzoka kwaakazoita," said the President amid laughter from the crowd.
President Mugabe said Zimbabwe was under threat from Western imperialist forces fronted by MDC-T and people need not look further than events after the March 29 elections when whites thought the opposition had won.
He said most farmers who lost their land and had gone to neighbouring countries such as Zambia, Malawi, South Africa, had returned to reclaim their land.
Cde Mugabe declared that the land would not be returned to the whites as long as war veterans and other progressive thinking Zimbabweans in the country were still alive.
He said Anglo-Saxon interests vested in MDC-T were also evidenced by US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer, who parroted claims by MDC-T that they had won the presidential elections before the official announcement by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
"Kamusikana kekuAmerica kakauya kachiti Tsvangirai ahwina vanofanira kutonga. Isu tikati ibva kuno. Kakanga kava kuzviramba kakadzokera kwavo."
He said Anglo-Saxons were working together to destabilise Zimbabwe by imposing sanctions in the vain hope that people would revolt against Government and vote for the puppet MDC-T to further the regime change agenda.
President Mugabe said Zimbabwe had minerals like platinum, chrome, nickel, which were complemented by the recent discovery of uranium that he said Government would soon look into ways of fostering co-operation and assistance from China and other countries in harnessing the resource for energy development.
He said there was wealth in the land as evidenced by the returns that resettled farmers have yielded saying the whites tried to hoodwink Zimbabweans into thinking that there was no wealth in farming by putting on shorts and dressing shabbily.
He said chiefs should identify people who need land and forward their names to Government.
Government, he said, had to put in place measures to empower people and ensure the availability of basic commodities and clothes at reasonable prices through the establishment of people's shops.
He urged people to vote for him, saying voting for him was voting for Zanu-PF which has a history of liberating the country and working to uplift and empower people.
President Mugabe said Government was committed to improving the lives of people in the Zambezi Valley, where people survive through hunting and fishing.
The First Lady, Amai Grace Mugabe, Politburo members Cde Nathan Shamuyarira, Cde Ignatius Chombo, Central Committee members from Mashonaland West, provincial chairman Cde John Mafa, Chief Mola and other traditional leaders attended the rally.
Addressing a capacity crowd at another rally at Rimuka Stadium in Kadoma later in the day, Cde Mugabe said people should understand that when they vote for MDC-T they would be voting against themselves and selling out the country's heritage.
"Tinozviziva kuti kune nzara nekushaikwa kwezvatinoshandisa asi mungatengesa nyika nekuti mashaya?
"Imi mukati nyika yarwadza mukati ngativhotere ichi chibato makatengesa nyika masikati machena.
"We are lucky midzimu yakaramba kuti nyika iende. The vote was not disastrous (after March 29) but we are saying don't vote against yourselves, vote for your country, your legacy and your heritage that you would bequeath to the future generations."
Cde Mugabe said celebrations by whites after the premature announce-
ment by the MDC-T should inspire people to be strong in defending the country's sovereignty.
"We need to be strong, to know that this is our country, Zimbabwe. We have nowhere else to go.
"The whites have a lot of places to go. The Anglo-Saxon world is very large and Zimbabwe is small but endowed with riches, underground, on its land we have to utilise, our forests with its birds, animals and everything that is found in it.
"The country also has the people, sons and daughters, which is our first resources for developing the country," he said.
He said people should know that the land in the country is sacred and should never be sold.
"Ivhu iri ratinaro rinoyera, haritengeswe, tinoripfumbudza richisara riripo, haritakurwe.
"Mabhunu havafaniri kukanganisa pakati pedu asi vakauya kuti vashande pamwe nesu for the good of our people then we would accept them."
He said the Government would continue to work with whites that want to see the country develop.
"We would work with those who want to help the development of the country but to imperialists we say down with them."
Cde Mugabe said as scholar of Kwame Nkurumah he learnt a lot of lessons about imperialists forces.
"I learnt from Nkurumah to be wary of imperialists, he taught me that only a dead imperialist is a good one.
"The second lesson was to follow my principles; this should not be bought.
"We should have the sense that the country is mine, I would die for, look after it and would never sell my country."
"We should also know that principle is sacred, can't be sold on the altar."
"Izvi zvinofanira kutibatsira kudzamisa hunhu hwako, tienderere mberi zvakanaka tiri vanhu vanozvitonga.
"If change comes in another way like what the MDC-T way, which is a sellout organisation, we will not accept that.
"Change should come out of the people, come out of the Zimbabwean people, people who stand for the rights of the people," he said.
Cde Mugabe said there were people who suffered for the country's independence and who understand the history of the struggle.
"We want leaders who stand strongly for the people, hatinzwisisane nezvimbwasungata, hatidi vatungamiriri vanoda kupfuma asi tinoda vanoshandira vanhu."
He castigated people who join the ruling party so that they could use it to be rich.
"People should come to work for the people. We want development for the people, to send children to school and develop ordinary Zimbabweans to have their own businesses. Leaders should be people-oriented," he said.
Cde Mugabe castigated MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai for not respecting ancestors and fallen heroes who died for the country's liberation and being used by the British to reverse the gains of independence.
"Munoti hamuzive kwakabva MDC, the British formed this party when the three parties in the country agreed to start the Westminster Foundation.
"Vakati kuti tirwise bato guru rakasimba tinofanira kushanda nevanhu veZCTU. We take the secretary-general of ZCTU and make him the president while the organisation's president becomes his deputy.
"Kana usingazive hauzive history, kana vashandi varipano vanozviziva kana usingazive hausi wemuno vakafanana nevachena vasiri vemuno.
"Hamukwanise kuona musiyano pakati pangu naTsvangirai, that is why you voted for him."
Cde Mugabe said he was different from Tsvangirai because he fought for the independence of the country, including those in the opposition.
"Takarwa hondo kuti vana teaboy vave maprofessionals kwete kuswera uchihwetera varungu.
"After independence we are saying we have our natural resources, we got them from God but Mbuya Nehanda, vanaMashayamombe nevakuru vese vakadamburwa musoro nenyaya yezvatinazvo munyika muno."
He said the war waged by the ancestors inspired him and the other leaders to fight for independence.
"Taisabvumirwa kugara kumasubburb, tikavakirwa dzimba dziya dzamunoti misana yenzou asi takati bhabhai kumisana yenzou and built proper houses.
"Ndopamunosimuka moti pasi neni, pasi neZanu-PF a-ah!
"Munoda Tsvangirai momuvhotera. Does he have the knowledge to lead the country? We are an enlightened country, ndopatinotora munhu ane pfungwa dzekumashure-shure anoti 'Kana makasunungurwa akakusunungurai wacho ngakudzorerei pamanga makasungirirwa'."
He said there is no way Zanu-PF will let the country go back to the colonialists.
"ZvanaTsvangirai zvekuti varungu tichavadzorera nyika hazvife zvakaitika, kuzvinyepera. You can vote for him but if he brings back the whites toenda kuhondo.
"Tinoita Chimurenga chechina nokuti varungu hapana chimwe chavanoda asi regime change, asi hazviite. Takatambudzikira nyika ino saka vakomana vangavari kuhondo vakati nyika haingaende nepenzura.
"You decide for yourselves to vote for war or vote for people who work for the development of the country.
"Tirikuda kupa vanhu masimba ekuzvitira if there are any whites who want to work in Zimbabwe they should be minority partners while we are the majority shareholders."
Cde Mugabe urged people in Kadoma to be united and vote overwhelmingly for Zanu-PF on June 27.
"When you vote for me on June 27, you will be voting for Zanu-PF so that when we vote, we vote to protect the gains of independence, our heritage, for Zimbabwe, the future of our children in our minds.
"We hope to vote for Zanu-PF, for me so that I must deliver a knockout blow to the MDC-T and its Western financiers."
First Lady Amai Mugabe, who also addressed the gathering, urged people to safeguard the riches of the country.
Amai Mugabe received a donation of $5 trillion for various projects she is spearheading from Kadoma businessman, Cde Simba Chinembiri, of Savanna in the town.Printer friendly version
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