Quantcast
Channel: DailyNews Live
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 30315

Victory no fluke: Mugabe

$
0
0

HARARE - President Robert Mugabe said yesterday his disputed victory in the July 31 polls was free and fair although the main opposition, MDC alleges fraud and manipulation of electoral rolls.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has submitted a 54-page dossier of “all irregularities and all the illegalities” in the July 31 vote to the influential 15-member Southern African Development Community (Sadc), which has endorsed the vote.

The MDC alleges that a total of $100 million was used to manipulate the elections through a “monolith” system and structure comprising largely secretive and shadowy organisations as well as individuals.

“Comrades we meet against a background as I said of a thunderous victory which came our way following the July 31 harmonised elections,” Mugabe told delegates attending his Zanu PF party’s 14th annual conference in Chinhoyi, about 100km west of the capital, Harare.

“That victory was no fluke at all. It was no accident and that victory is no small matter therefore.
“Given the formidable forces that raced against our party Zanu PF, it was a spectacular triumph against adversity and hardships.

Sibatshengise ukuthi singabobani, takavaratidza kuti tirivanani.(We displayed our prowess).

“And true, there it was, province by province came out with results that devastated the enemy, we did not do well in Bulawayo, yes, takavasiirawo kuti vawane pavangafararire, vaite kamumvuri (We generously gave them Bulawayo) but we are coming there.”

As a candidate, analysts say Mugabe benefited from power of incumbency as president, but he faces a stagnating economy, and slowing growth.

Already, the ruling party is facing a confidence crisis after postponing the national budget to December 19 amid an intensifying liquidity crunch that has prompted fresh calls within the party about the reintroduction of the Zimdollar.

Zimbabwe is nearly certain to need significant fiscal tightening next year to keep the economy afloat.

Amid frustrations caused by a sluggish economy and a weak job market, Zanu PF has been under pressure since its July 31 re-election, giving campaign fodder to its archrival, the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC, slowly coming to terms with its devastating defeat in the July vote.

Tsvangirai, who had earlier demanded a recount of the ballots saying he has evidence of irregularities that impacted hundreds of thousands of votes, withdrew the court challenge saying he did not believe he would get a fair hearing.

The state Electoral Commission on August 8 admitted to some mistakes in the elections but claimed they were not enough to sway Mugabe’s victory.

It said nearly 305 000 people were turned away from voting stations and another 207,000 were given assistance by polling officials to cast ballots.

Tsvangirai’s party alleged in a damning dossier sent to regional leaders that the state electoral body printed an extra 2 million ballot papers based on the grossly inflated and flawed voters’ register, far above the norm, with help from Chinese and Israelis.

Mugabe admitted yesterday his victory left the whole world spellbound, as they had no answers of how he bounced back following the 2008 election disaster that saw him lose elections.

“What happened in 2008 l have forgotte,” Mugabe said. “I thank you for it, thank you for giving us as the party this high level of honour.

“All in Africa and even across, they don’t know how we did it, they are shaking their hands asking themselves how we did it.”

Mugabe recalled  his meetings with Tsvangirai and former Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara when they drank tea and ate cheese cake at State House during their usual scheduled Monday afternoon meeting.

“Vana Tsvangirai naMutambara taiita meeting every week in State House tichimwa tea tese zvakanakanaka (We used to meet with Tsvangirai and Mutambara weekly having tea together). But isu (us) we were working in our party,” Mugabe said.

Armed with a commanding victory, Mugabe has been hawking threatening messages, giving the local unit of South Africa’s Implats Platinum a two-year ultimatum to install a refinery or risk losing its license.
“We are giving them a warning … unless we have a refinery within two years,  we will say we do not want with our minerals. We will stop them from exporting platinum to create jobs for others who refine it,” he said.

South African miners, Anglo American Platinum and Impala Platinum, the world’s second-largest platinum miner, have agreed to cede 51 percent shareholding to locals but the government last month said they will have to build a refinery if they wanted to stay.

He said the company was remitting very little to government in the form of royalties.

“Zimplats has been exporting platinum but we have been given little as earnings back, hameno mari irikuenda kupi” (we don’t know where they are taking the money), Mugabe said.

“Externalisation No! We want our money back. When we sell our material raw or not raw outside, the earnings must come and we have to look now at what has been happening and get an explanation as to where the earnings from  our platinum have been going.

“Anyway we are giving them a warning that unless we have a refinery within a short period of time we will take action. I hope (Mines minister Walter) Chidhakwa will keep that.”

The 89-year-old veteran leader emphasised the need to exercise caution in dealing with foreigners who seek partnerships with Zimbabwe in mining deals.

“We must be careful and not go into agreements which will disadvantage us tomorrow, “ Mugabe said. “We might end up giving up too much.

“We must be aware of the international community, there are people who thrive on tricks and are cunning,” he said.

Mugabe also read the riot act to banks, warning them to stop abusing depositors’ funds.

“Our banks must improve their discipline,” Mugabe said.

“They are not there to steal; they are there to serve our economy and our people. They must be thankful to depositors and not depositors necessarily thankful in the first place.

“The depositors would thank the bank if they keep the money of the depositors well and bring interest to the deposits that are made by people with some disposable income,” he said.

Discussions at the conference are centring on familiarising with the the ruling party’s new economic blue print Zim Asset, which proposes a cocktail of measures to revive the economy, including borrowing money from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, a group of large emerging market nations collectively known as BRICS, and setting up a sovereign wealth fund.

ZimAsset also looks at the sale of bonds, securitisation of remittances, re-engagement with international finance institutions and the creation of special economic zones.

“We need to focus on gold, diamond, chrome and coal,” Mugabe said. “We should look at our quick earners for ZimAsset.”

The programme, which will run till 2018, will focus on growing the economy by ensuring food security, social services and poverty eradication, rehabilitating infrastructure and utilities and spurring mineral extraction.

Mugabe, who turns 90 in February, said Zimbabwe should shift from the practice of selling raw materials to selling finished products.

“Instead of selling raw cotton, let us sell wool. We must get our cotton back on the footing we used to have,” he said.

Mugabe is expected to close the five day conference today.


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 30315

Trending Articles