By Peta Thornycroft
Harare - President Robert Mugabe has snubbed South Africa's financial rescue package and said the economy would be revived by assistance from China.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the heroes of Zimbabwe's liberation war, Mugabe did not mention any SA deal, other than an oblique reference to "shrill" calls. These came, he said, from "many quarters including those we expect to know better, for so-called talks with the Movement for Democratic Change. Some of these calls are motivated by the MDC which wrongly thinks it can compel us to talk to it".
Mugabe, with his usual round of Tony Blair bashing, said China remained Zimbabwe's most steadfast ally.
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| 'He really is senile. His speech was a snub to the South African offer of assistance' |
"I am happy to announce that our Look East policies are beginning to assume a concrete form and yield quantifiable economic results for our nation. My recent state visit to China was most beneficial and is set to transform our economy in a fundamental way."
He did not mention gruelling shortages of fuel and food, particularly in southern Zimbabwe where malnutrition is increasing alarmingly. He called on Zimbabweans to grow more food, saying: "Until and unless we feed ourselves we remain vulnerable to outside influence and subversion.
"In asking all those on the land to produce, we are asking them to secure our sovereignty which continues to be challenged by the same forces we fought against yesterday."
Paul Themba Nyathi, spokesperson for the MDC, said: "He really is senile. His speech was a snub to the South African offer of assistance.
"I have returned today from a trip to Gwanda (south of Bulawayo) and the malnutrition out there is frightening. Journalists should go and see for themselves.
"There has to be intensified pressure from South Africa and the international community to force Mugabe to allow people to get food now.
"He does not want food aid because he wants to continue to use food to control people." - Independent Foreign Service
- This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Times on August 09, 2005
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