By Anna Chibamu
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has warned that any political interference in Zimbabwe by countries “masquerading as champions of democracy” will not be tolerated.
This comes after several blocs such as the AU, Commonwealth, EU, SADC denounced the August general elections saying they were flawed and fell short of international and regional standards.
The opposition Citizens Coalition for Change is demanding a fresh election despite its councillors and legislators being sworn in.
Recently, UK MPs called for the re-evaluation of Zimbabwe’s bid to re-join the Commonwealth over the widely condemned polls. The Commonwealth set conditions for Zimbabwe to meet before re-joining the bloc, among them holding credible general elections.
Addressing mourners at the burial of national hero Joshua Malinga at the Heroes acre in Harare on Friday, Mnangagwa slammed “colonial regimes” trying to destabilise a sovereign Zimbabwe by interfering in its matters.
“The struggle to liberate Zimbabwe was not a walk in the park as the racist Rhodesian regime brutalised the black majority to preserve their dominance. Democracy did not come cheaply as many of our comrades lost life and limb in the gruelling struggle for our independence.
“Today, the same forces that orchestrated and supported the incarceration, maiming and killing of our cadres for demanding independence and majority rule, come to us masquerading as champions of democracy. We will never forget.
“Day and night they continue in their devious attempts to create chaos, in our country so that they can loot our resources. As a sovereign nation, we will not allow interference in our internal affairs,” he said.
The President further said the settler regime, in line with Ian Douglas Smith’s “never in a thousand years” declaration, kept banning nationalist movements to thwart all efforts towards majority rule.
“The Rhodesian machinations failed to dampen the determination of the nationalists who formed successor movements to fight for the independence, democracy and freedom we are enjoying to this day.”
