Mugabe fires celebratory rant as Zim turns 25

Mugabe fires celebratory rant as Zim turns 25

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By Staff Reporter

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe on Monday marked 25 years of independence by telling the West to mind their own elections and leave Zimbabwe alone.

"Our elections have not needed Anglo-American validation. They are validated by fellow Africans, and friendly countries from the Third World," Mugabe told thousands gathered at a sports stadium for the independence celebrations.

"That is where we get justice, not from Europe neither indeed from America."

"We never agitate to observe their elections and therefore let them keep away from our affairs," Mugabe said.

Mugabe's Zanu-PF party won elections last month that the opposition said were rigged while the United States, Britain and other western governments declared that the parliamentary vote was neither free nor fair.

Mugabe, who has been in power since independence 25 years ago, also defended his land reform programme launched five years ago that saw some 4 000 commercial farms seized and handed over to landless blacks.

"The 25 years that have gone by have taught us democracy cannot grow well on the soil of racial poverty and inequality. Genuine democracy cannot co-exist with structural depravation and racial inequality.

"In Zimbabwe land governs the ballot, it is a symbol of sovereignty, it is the economy, indeed the source of our wealth as Africans," he declared before a coterie of African leaders including Namibia's Hifikepunye Pohamba and Botswana's President Festus Mogae.

"Let the grief and bitterness that has visited Europe following the repossession of our land heal on its own, in its own time. Zimbabwe is in Africa, not Europe"

ROBERT MUGABE

Mugabe said the land issue "remains the core social question of our time as it was the main grievance on which our whole liberation struggle was built".

He said he was unperturbed by the west's reaction to the reforms that have been partly blamed for the worsening economic woes and hunger.

"Let the grief and bitterness that has visited Europe following the repossession of our land heal on its own, in its own time. Zimbabwe is in Africa, not Europe," Mugabe said.

The West's hostility over the land reforms and the political crisis over the 2000 and 2002 elections that the opposition maintains were also rigged has forced Mugabe to look to Asia for new allies.

"We have turned east where the sun rises and given our back to the west where the sun sets, we have turned to our region, the region of Africa," he said.

Joining in the celebrations along with Mogae and Pohamba were regional leaders Presidents Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi and Prime Ministers of Angola, Mozambique and Lesotho.

South Africa and other regional countries were represented by cabinet ministers.

Former president of Zambia Kenneth Kaunda was also present at the ceremony held at the 60 000-seat Chinese-built National Stadium in the capital.

Mugabe scoffed at critics of his economic management saying "we are happy that it (the economy) has delivered spectacularly on our social goals, thereby laying firm foundation for our future growth policy." - Sapa/AFP
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