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saying the strong cultural roots that bind its citizens cannot permit such an act.
Officially launching the Tongogara Community Share Ownership Scheme Trust (CSOS/T) at the platinum rich Unki Mines in Shurugwi owned by the multi-national mining giant Anglo-American, President Mugabe, who is the Head-of-State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, said Zimbabweans and people from Southern Africa were defined by a closely knit custom which bound them.
President Mugabe said the devious push for regime change especially in African countries by Western countries through tricking citizens into overthrowing legitimate governments, would never succeed in Zimbabwe.
CSOS/T is a countrywide Government initiative to spearhead development and empower rural communities by giving them a 10 percent stake in all businesses that exploit natural resources in their respective areas.
The launch at Unki Mines is the second after Zimplats launched the Mhondoro, Chegutu and Zvimba CSOS/T last month.
Unki Mines immediately presented a $10 million cheque to the community and a share certificate for the 10 percent stake in its mines.
“Europeans do things in droves, like a football team. If something is happening they simply go en masse without premeditation and partake in whatever is happening.
“You cannot just come here with your stupid MI6 ideology and think you can influence people to go against their culture to do your bidding,” said President Mugabe.
“What happened in Egypt cannot happen in West Africa or Zimbabwe. Keep your customs. We refuse to be swayed.”
Turning to the homosexual issue, President Mugabe said Zimbabweans would never be a part of the unclean act of gay relationships.
“Takati chambopinda ivo varungu ava chii? Vanoti John na Jack ngavaroorane, hanzi Maria na Theresa vanokwanisa kuchata kutovachatisa musvondowo imi. What Bible are they using to support that? They even have the nerve to go into a holy church to solemnise these gay unions. It becomes even worse and more satanic when you get a Prime Minister like David Cameron saying Britain would not give aid to countries that do not respect gay rights,” said President Mugabe.
He said he was happy that most African leaders had condemned the statement and the practice of homosexuality.
“These people are trying to destroy our humanity. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God because of such dirty practice. Chii chakapinda kumisoro yavarungu?” asked the President.
He said homosexuality was condemned by the Bible because it was against nature. The President said even insects knew that a male’s sexual partner should be female.
“I have said it that these gays are worse than pigs and dogs and telling us that they are children of God and we should accept them will never work in this country,” said President Mugabe.
The President said Zimbabweans had taken almost 31 years to embark on the scheme to empower its citizens because of delays that were caused by insincere negotiations by the country’s former colonial master, Britain.
“The Conservatives’ Margaret Thatcher-led Government agreed that we would take back our land 10 years after independence, at the Lancaster House Agreement in 1979. They also agreed that they would compensate Britons for the farms that we were going to repossess. However, when Tony Blair came into power, he refused to honour the agreement,” he said.
President Mugabe said Blair knew he was not going to seek and win a recourse in the international courts when the country was eventually forced to take back its land without compensating white landowners who had grabbed it from the blacks when the country was colonised.
“That is when he embarked on the sanctions campaign by claiming there was no rule of law, no democracy and disregard for human rights in Zimbabwe. His European counterparts simply supported
him. Bush supported him as well because he followed when Bush led the slaughter in Iraq,” said President Mugabe.
He said now that the country had completed the belated land reform, it was starting on the next step of empowering its people to own the means of production.
“The minimum 51 percent local ownership in all businesses is real and we are not going back. Our children have been working for foreigners in their country for 31 years. Now they have ample knowledge to run all the operations and it is time they become employers,” said President Mugabe.
He said those who said they would abandon everything when the indigenisation and empowerment law was implemented should not wait for tomorrow, but should leave the country as soon as possible.
“Our indigenisation programme has been misunderstood by some people. What country would allow its resources to be held by others? We would be complete idiots if we say we are independent while whites, wearing shorts and pretending to be poor, laugh at us because they know they hold all the wealth,” said President Mugabe.
President Mugabe thanked Unki Mines chairperson Mr July Ndlovu and Anglo-American for taking the bold step of being the first in the Midlands province to implement the scheme, which would spread throughout the country.
President Mugabe also donated more than 200 computers and 40 printers to 20 schools in the province, in line with Government policy of promoting computer literacy and bringing IT knowledge to schools.
Speaking on behalf of the president of the Chiefs Council, Chief Fortune Charumbira, Chief Ngungumbane of Mberengwa said the CSOS/T scheme was a blessing for communities as it would ensure that projects that were gathering dust at rural district councils’ offices would soon take off.
“As chiefs we promise to put the funds we would be in charge of to good use for the benefit of our communities. Mining is not a permanent business, so we will invest the money in other businesses like tourism so that when minerals run out, we have something to fall back on,” said Chief Ngungumbane.
The Unki Mines chairperson, Mr Ndlovu, said Anglo-American was proud to be part of the indigenisation drive in Zimbabwe.
Those who attended the colourful ceremony included the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Francis Nhema, Minister of Mines and Mining Development Obert Mpofu, Minister of Youth
Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment Saviour Kasukuwere, Midlands Governor Cde Jason Machaya, service chiefs, traditional leaders, war veterans, the business community and people from the different corners of Shurugwi district.
Bongani Ndlovu