‘Last Parliamentary session for some’

at a luncheon organised by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development to mark the official opening of the Fifth Session of the Seventh Parliament.
He said he managed to relate well with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara in an environment they worked with limited resources.
“I want to thank the various ministries for what they have done with little resources, in particular the ministry of Local Government.
“I also want you to thank us as the three principals for failing to fight as many of you expected.
“We surprised you by living together as brothers. We might not have succeeded to bring our parties together, but the principals were friendly, very brotherly and as you can see we were even able to create marriages in between.”
President Mugabe was referring to PM Tsvangirai’s recent marriage to Ms Elizabeth Macheka.
He said the traditional luncheon could be the last for some legislators ahead of harmonised elections slated for next March.
“Today zvanzi ndiri guest of honour, but you might call me guest of dishonour because today is the day we have opened our Parliament which is the last Parliament of this Government,” said President Mugabe.
“I didn’t put it in my speech (to Parliament) that ladies and gentlemen this is our last time, but here I can tell you that this is a celebration to say goodbye to each other.”
President Mugabe, who is the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces castigated the British and Americans for deceit when they imposed illegal sanctions on the country.
He slammed the two countries, especially during the era of Tony Blair and George Bush (Jnr) for the unilateralism they promoted in dealing with world affairs.
“Those who have imposed sanctions continue to keep them on us, sometimes we are told they are going, but they keep them . . . some of us have asked why, why the sanctions,” he said.
President Mugabe said Mr Blair concocted allegations of human rights abuses and lack of rule of law to hide his disregard of the commitment by the British Government to fund land reforms here as agreed at Lancaster House.
“As the British, to them the truth is nothing they go by . . . if lies are told again and again people begin to believe them and so it was with us,” he said.
“But in reality we had tried to get out of the British bond and even when we had gained our independence in 1980 we felt the land had not come to us more so when we had discussed the land issue at Lancaster.
“We did what we did in accordance with what we had agreed with the government of Margaret Thatcher but the government of Mr Blair wanted to reverse it and we said no.”
President Mugabe said Europeans brought Christianity to Africa, but were not practising it as evidenced by continued discrimination against blacks in their countries and oppression of weaker countries by the Western powers.
He said early European missionaries taught Africans to ignore earthly riches and endure poverty so that they would be rewarded in heaven.
President Mugabe said this was a way for them to gain access to Africa’s resources and control its people.
Turning to next year’s elections, President Mugabe reiterated that violence would not be tolerated.
He said Zimbabweans had come of age to commit violence against other people holding divergent views.
“We are all Zimbabweans with one flag, one national anthem and there can’t be any other home for each one of us whether we are talking of MDC-T, MDC-M, MDC 99, hameno kuti zvinorevei, but its segmentation even kuZanu-PF kune vamwe vakabuda kuenda kuZapu, KuMavambo hameno,” he said to roars of laughter.
“In Africa, we are number one in terms of literacy and if we are that high intellectually, going down to fight physically is retrogressive. I call it primitive,” he said.
President Mugabe said the US and British governments exhibited primitiveness by using their might to depose governments in Libya and Iraq in their pursuit of oil.
The President then had the gathering cracking their ribs when he said: “VaTsvangirai vanoti chinja maitiro as ini handichinje ndinoti mukadzi wandinaye ndiyeye, kana nhaiwe Grace ungade kuchinjwa?” (Mr Tsvangirai says change your ways, but as for me I will not change my wife).
President Mugabe continued with the jokes saying he had nearly got into trouble with the First Lady after he misplaced his wedding ring.