‘West wants to discredit polls’

Harare Bureau
WESTERN countries are angling to discredit the country’s harmonised elections but Zimbabweans must remain peaceful and steadfast, President Mugabe said yesterday. Addressing a rally attended by thousands of Zanu-PF supporters in Norton, the party’s First Secretary said the West was bent on destabilising the election process in Zimbabwe.

“Musi wa 31 (July) wasvika, isvondo rinouya. Tinenge tonzi chivhotai. Iyezvino tine macandidates kuno variko vaMutsvangwa varikumirira kuno. Ndanga ndichitaura nezvazuro. Tiri vanhu vanoda kuramba vachizvitonga.

“Hatidi kuva zvimbwasungata zvemabhunu. Iyezvino ibasa rakawanda ririkuitwa nevari kunze, kuda kukanganisa maelections edu,” said President Mugabe.

He told the crowd that Zimbabwe’s detractors were working hard to undermine the election process. President Mugabe warned supporters to stand on guard.

He said political leaders from various parties agreed to encourage their supporters to remain peaceful.
“Kana vana Tsvangirai varikutaurawo nezverunyararo. So all of us are talking of the election process being peaceful,” President Mugabe said.

He ordered the West to leave Zimbabwe alone. “Ndokusaka tichiti stay away from us. Nanhasi wese unonzwa kuBritish Parliament vanoda kutaura nezvedu. Murivanani? Hamunyari. KuAmerica zvimwe chetezvo. Hakuna democracy kuZimbabwe, hakuna chii? Hakuna democracy? KuAmerica makarakasha maRed Indians, kuvarakasha semhuka dzemusango. Democracy inotaurwa navanhu ivavo? Mukatapa vanhu vedu kubva muAfrica muno kuenda muhutapwa nanhasi vanoonekwa sevanhu varipasi.”

President Mugabe said the white skin reigns supreme in America even today.

“There is racial discrimination in America, they cannot deny it. A lot of it. Vatema vazhinji varimujeri. Ivo vanotiudza kuti there are more blacks in prisons in America than those at universities. So how does this come about? Nyika dzevamwe vanopindira. Their appetite for wealth and dominance is insatiable. Havagute.”

President Mugabe said the West’s hostility on other sovereign nations is evidenced by events in Iraq and Libya where they toppled democratically elected governments and went further to loot their resources.

He said he was hopeful that the country would successfully hold its elections on July 31 despite concerted efforts by the West to destabilise the process.

“So on 31 July, we are sure that if this process goes the way it has begun, the peaceful way it has begun, the elections will surely be peaceful. But our detractors have been talking of, oh no, the situation in Zimbabwe is a disturbed one.

“Ndizvo zvavari kutaura kunanaBritain. They are saying so, that things are not well in Zimbabwe. Are not well? Ipo pano mamanikidzwa here kuuya? Aiwa. You came freely to this meeting. There was no pressure exerted on you. No violence was used to drive you to this meeting. Saka tinofara rambai makadaro. Rambai muchizvibata kudaro,” he said.

“Tingave here vanhu vanonzi number one padzidzo muno muAfrica asi tochizonzi, ah, varinumber one zvavo asi kana totaura nezvokubatana fototo. Haiwa, ngativei number one even in the way we associate. Tive neruzivo rwokuti vanhu vanosarudza vavanoda.”

He urged the electorate to vote wisely by electing Zanu-PF candidates as the party’s policies were people centred.
“Imi mochenjera takakanganisa muna 2008. Tokanganisa zvekare 2013? Tigonzi tirivanhu vakaita sei? Kukanganisa vanhu vanokanganisa pahupenyu asi tinosungirwa kuva ne that consciousness yokuziva kuti this was wrong.

“If you do a wrong thing, your conscience must tell you that you did a wrong thing and you must make amends. Hameno, everybody is free to think and free to vote. Tirikungoti kana muri nhengo dziri pachokwadi vamwe imember dzedu vanoziva zvinangwa zvedu zvakatarisana nezvinangwa zvevanhu vedu. Ndizvo zvatinoda kuzadzisa nguva nenguva,” President Mugabe said.

He outlined some of the key issues a Zanu-PF Government would address when given the people’s mandate.
Among these are black empowerment, addressing the situation at the Chiadzwa diamond mines, assisting small-scale miners, improving service delivery in all sectors of the economy and the cancellation of bills owed to municipalities by residents across the country.

“Mabatirwe atinoitwa, macompanies ese tinoda kuagadzirisa. Kungoda kwose uku kumadiamonds kunoda kugadziriswa zvikurusa. Hatisi kufara nezvirikuitwa ikoko. Hatisi kufara negold mining. Madzimai nanababa vanokorokoza vaye vanotengesa goridhe ravanowana kune vanopinda chinyararire vachibva kuSouth Africa panzvimbo yekunge goridhe iroro richienda kuReserve Bank pamusana pokuti havana kurongwa zvakanaka. Tinoda kuti varongwe zvakanaka kuve nekukorokoza kunobatsirwa nehurumende,” he said.
On bills owed to municipalities by residents, President Mugabe said:

“Ikozvino takati zvikwereti zvanga zviripo pasi nazvo.”
He said there was no better candidate for Norton constituency than Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa and urged the electorate to vote for him with other Zanu-PF candidates across the country.

President Mugabe said Cde Mutsvangwa was a committed Zimbabwean who fought for the country’s liberation and made immense contribution to the nation even after independence.