Harare - President Robert Mugabe celebrated Zimbabwe's 21st independence anniversary Wednesday with an address that attacked whites as "snakes" and promised violence to supporters of the main opposition party.
"The snake we thought was dead is coming back again," he said, departing from his official text.
"The whites are coming back. They are using people among us," he said, in a reference to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, which he claims is "a puppet" of anti-government whites.
His last words, which drew scarcely a cheer from the nearly full 65 000-seat National Sports Stadium on Harare's outskirts, were also a threat to the MDC.
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He referred to the assault this week of a pro-ruling party traditional chief, allegedly carried out by MDC supporters. "If this continues, you will see what will happen," he threatened.
This year's celebrations come against a background of economic collapse, international isolation and a campaign of repression and violence by Mugabe's regime.
A 30-minute power cut interrupted the occasion, silencing the speakers and blanking out the large stadium television screen. Master of ceremonies Simbarashe Kanyongo told the crowd after power had been restored that the cut was "the work of enemies."
Mugabe also used his speech to confirm a ban on distressed private companies closing, saying his government would not allow any viable mining or manufacturing enterprise to shut down for unclear reasons.
"Any closures will have to have the assent of government. The welfare of the workers will in every case be the decisive determining factor."
The announcement comes amid accelerating shut-downs by businesses stricken by the last year of economic crisis.
The Confederation of Zimababwe Industries, citing shrunken markets and shortages of fuel and foreign currency, said this week that 400 industrial companies closed last year with the loss of 10 000 jobs.
Mugabe claimed Tuesday night that the closures were "not genuine" but a plot by whites against the government.
However, observers see the ban is an attempt by Mugabe to win back support in urban areas which in parliamentary elections last year gave the MDC every urban seat.
In the last three weeks, mobs of so-called guerrilla war veterans have stormed businesses all over the country, forcing owners to rehire retrenched workers and to pay them lavish benefits. - Sapa-DPA
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