PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe yesterday threatened to retaliate against sanctions imposed by Britain and the United States “tit for tat” as he rounded off critics of his July 31 re-election.
REPORT BY STAFF REPORTER
Speaking at the burial of National Railways of Zimbabwe general manager Mike Karakadzai at the Heroes’ Acre in Harare, Mugabe had no kind words for the people of Bulawayo and Harare for voting for the MDC-T during the controversial polls.
He told his critics to leave him alone as he had a country to run, warning that he had lost patience with Britain and the US.
“They should not continue to harass us, the British and Americans,” Mugabe thundered.
“We have not done anything to their companies here. The British have several companies in this country and we have not imposed any controls, any sanctions against them, but time will come when we will say well, tit for tat, you hit me, I hit you.
“Our attitude is not going to continue to be what it was in the past – passive. We have had enough.” Foreign companies are already a target of Zimbabwe’s indigenisation laws that seek to force them to transfer 51% of their shares to locals.
Mugabe has in the past hinted that the government would consider increasing the threshold to a total takeover of companies, but there was optimism he would abandon the rhetoric after his re-election.
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The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange has been recording massive loses following the uncertainty ushered in by Zanu PF’s victory.
Britain and the US have refused to endorse Mugabe’s re-election citing a number of alleged irregularities during the polls.
William Hague, the United King Foreign secretary last week called for an investigation into the way the polls were conducted.
But Mugabe said those criticising the polls had no mandate to do so and vowed to press on with his pre-election promises.
“We have a country to run and must be left to run that country,” he said. “We don’t seek ideals from London and Washington. Our ideals come from here and organisations from Africa.”
Sadc and the African Union endorsed the elections as free and fair, but they have refrained from describing them as credible.
Mugabe attacked MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai describing him as ignorant of the country’s laws and history.
Tsvangirai has described the 89-year-old leader’s re-election as fraud and tried to challenge it at the Constitutional Court, but withdrew the case saying the judges were pro-Zanu PF.
Mugabe also defended the appointment of retired soldiers to lead public institutions and laughed off calls for security sector reforms.
“Already, we are a militarised party (Zanu PF),” he said.
“So it must not come as a surprise that we assign people from the military to run public institutions. “After all, whose civil service are they? Is it not a civil service of Zanu PF? So what is the nonsense about?
“I just hear there is talk of security sector reforms. What security sector will people without direction and knowledge of security do? Since when have frogs become crocodiles? We have the teeth to bite the whites, that is what we used to liberate this country, and you (Tsvangirai) what do you have? It is actually funny when you talk of security sector reforms.”
He said Karakadzai had been deployed at the NRZ to arrest indiscipline and the collapse of the country’s railway utility.
However, Karakadzai’s deployment did little to halt the collapse of the NRZ with workers going for over eight months without salaries.
Mugabe who also revealed that former Agriculture minister Kumbirai Kangai had recommended Karakadzai for national hero status only to die the following day, said he was shocked by the death of three prominent Zanu PF officials in one week.
Karakadzai died in a car accident on Tuesday and the following day former Home Affairs minister Enos Nkala died following a battle with a kidney ailment. Kangai died on Saturday.
Mugabe also fired a broadside at people of Bulawayo and Harare for voting for MDC-T in the elections saying they must get what they voted for from that party.
“People from Harare and Bulawayo, to vote for the MDC-T, what do you admire in that party? Now, go and get from the MDC-T what you were promised during the elections,” Mugabe said, describing MDC-T leaders as ignoramuses.
“People in 2008 voted for them not knowing that such level of ignorance cannot run this country.
“But today, people have realised that they (MDC-T) do not have life and direction and voted for Zanu PF.
“During the inclusive government, it required a lot of patience to work with them.
“We had very diverse views and it was difficult to negotiate with them because they are very ignorant.” Zanu PF swept all the other provinces in the elections, but came unstuck in the two cities.
At his last campaign rally at the National Stadium in Harare, Mugabe had joked that he would have a heart attack if the capital voted for MDC-T again.
