Fearless Zim leading in serving blacks’ interests – Mugabe

HARARE – Zimbabwe is the only country that is leading in empowering and serving black people’s interests, president Robert Mugabe has reportedly said.

Mugabe, 90, said Zimbabwe was now a lone ranger in the world because of its tough empowerment policies, which were against the British and American interests.

According to the Daily News, Mugabe, who was speaking to his Zanu-PF party supporters, who welcomed him back from the 69th session of the United Nations general assembly in the US, said “fearless” Zimbabwe had succeeded in the fight against “imperialists who come in different forms”.

Mugabe, who is known for blasting Western powers as protagonists of regime change in his country, said some African nations were “seriously” afraid of insulting Americans as they feared upsetting whites and losing aid.

The West imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe in 2002 following the veteran leader’s launch of a controversial land reform programme, which resulted in the death of several white farmers.

At least 4 000 white commercial farmers were evicted from their farms.

At the time, Mugabe said the reforms were meant to correct colonial land ownership imbalances.

Critics of the reforms have, however, blamed the land programme for low production on the farms in the southern African country, as the majority of the beneficiaries lacked the means and skills to work the land. Mugabe last week delivered a fierce barrage against the West at the UN General Assembly, saying the sanctions imposed against his government were unjustified and illegal.

“These evil sanctions violate the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and should be condemned by the international community,” Mugabe told world leaders at the UN General Assembly, according to Sapa. Meanwhile, the US has accused Mugabe and his Zanu-PF government of failing to deal with the waning economic situation, saying they should stop blaming sanctions for their failures.

According to the News Day, US ambassador to Zimbabwe Bruce Wharton said the Zimbabwean economy had the capacity to turn around the corner if president Robert Mugabe’s government introduced sound policies.

Meanwhile, reports that a white family was thrown off their farm to make way for president Robert Mugabe’s 24-year-old daughter have angered the debt-ridden country’s commercial farmers. – Nampa-AP