Mugabe claims he defeated UK attempts at overthrow

Mugabe claims he defeated UK attempts at overthrow

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By Cris Chinaka

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe said on Tuesday his government had defeated what he called attempts by Britain to scupper Zimbabwe's ailing economy and overthrow him.

Critics accuse Mugabe of plunging the southern African country into its deepest crisis since independence from Britain in 1980 through controversial policies that the World Bank says have made its economy the fastest shrinking outside a war zone.

Opening a new session of parliament on Tuesday, Mugabe again blamed Zimbabwe's economic crisis on his political opponents, accusing London of mobilising what he regards as "illegal sanctions" by the European Union and the United States.

The 82-year-old Zimbabwean leader believes Britain wants to oust him over his seizures of white-owned farms for redistribution to blacks and said on Tuesday the drive to isolate his government had failed.

"It is refreshing that the world has now become fully aware of the dishonest and hypocritical anti-Zimbabwe strategy of the current British government," Mugabe said.

"We feel proud that we have defeated that strategy which was aimed at the collapse of the Zimbabwean economy and an envisaged regime change."

London denies trying to oust Mugabe and the West insists it has imposed only targeted travel bans on the ruling elite.

Mugabe's address was boycotted by legislators from the main wing of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change of Morgan Tsvangirai.

"He has often delivered empty promises when it is clear his government has neither the concern nor the solutions to resolve the worsening multi-layered crisis," Tsvangirai's deputy, Thokozani Khupe, said in a statement.

The MDC has boycotted most of Mugabe's official addresses to parliament since 2000 over accusations that his ZANU-PF party has been rigging elections to stay in power.

On Tuesday, Mugabe said Zimbabwe -- which is struggling with the world's highest inflation rate of over 1,180 percent -- hoped to revive an economy in its eighth year of recession by boosting the key agricultural sector.

Analysts say production in the farming sector has fallen by over 60 percent in the past six years after the farm seizures. The government mainly blames the decline on drought.

Mugabe said growing corruption was threatening Zimbabwe's economic revival programme and the government would amend its laws to deal with the problem.

"This scourge has the potential to undermine the very foundations of the country's socio-economic development and, as such, constitutes a potent threat to national well-being," Mugabe said.

On Tuesday police chief spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said the force had arrested deputy information minister Bright Matonga on corruption charges arising from his previous stint at state bus company ZUPCO - Reuters
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