Published by the government of Zimbabwe
13 March 2008
Harare — All fugitives from the law who found refuge in the United Kingdom will face the full wrath of the law once they return to Zimbabwe as their crimes will not die out, President Mugabe has said.
The President, who was addressing thousands of Zanu-PF supporters who gathered at Hama High School in Chirumhanzu yesterday, castigated those who tried to tarnish his name alleging political persecution when they were mere criminals fleeing the law, saying they should come back to atone for their ruinous actions.
"Britain yazara nevakatiza muno umu, hanzi tirikuda kusungwa nekuda kwezvematongerwo enyika. We do not want to arrest any of those except vakatiza mhosva, and vakatiza mhosva handi vose vakaenda kuBritain kwete. Vanhu vasingaverengeki paminwe yenyu, vashoma, ndivo vane nyaya huru dzavakatiza muno umu. Ivavo avo, nyaya dzacho hadzimbofa dzakaora. KuBritain ikoko, kana vasingade kuuya kuzobvuma kuti ehe ndakaba ndakatadza, kana uchiripa woripa ka, kana uchiripa kana muripo uchireva kuti unoenda kujeri, woenda kujeri nekuti wakaba mari dzevanhu."
Some Zimbabwean businesspeople, particularly those in the financial services sector, fled Zimbabwe to the United Kingdom in the wake of the clean-up launched by the Reserve Bank to stamp out unethical practices in the financial services sector that saw millions of Zimbabweans being fleeced of their funds that were diverted to speculative activities by the bankers and asset management companies.
In an earlier briefing with the provincial leadership in the Midlands, the President said big business had been a big letdown, and warned those who might want to raise prices in the wake of the increase in civil servants' salaries that Government would not hesitate to launch a blitz to bring down the prices.
The President said the food situation was bound to improve as maize imports would be flowing into the country in due course, and Government had moved with speed to
smoothen the distribution by releasing funds to the District Development Fund so that they can repair and maintain roads that were in a bad state as some transporters had raised concerns that their vehicles could be damaged by the bad roads.
The President said Government planned to revamp the education sector by ensuring that every province has a university, a technical institution and that every district has a vocational training college, that would enrol all, even those who would not have done their "O" Levels.
The technical colleges, he said, would impart technical knowledge in a variety of disciplines while the vocational training colleges would cover practical subjects such as carpentry and dressmaking, among other things.
He said such skills would empower the people in particular, and the nation in general.
He said Government would capacitate the education sector so that Zimbabwe can match the achievements of Cuba, which despite the ruinous sanctions imposed on the country over the past 50 years, had managed to excel in the area of human resources development, and was training students and exporting doctors, even to some of the countries that are behind the damaging embargo on Havana.
The President castigated Britain and its allies for always striving to meddle in Zimbabwe's internal affairs, saying London ceased to be a factor in Zimbabwe when the Union Jack was lowered at Rufaro Stadium on independence eve in 1980.
"Isu tichiuya kwamuri tinoziva kuti we are winning, zvinotinoda kuti tose tibva tabatana. So the blow iyi, fist iyi (raising his clenched fist) can be a heavy one, and we can knock out the British in one second, tisati tamboita one round. Saka buno iroro riri kudongorera muno, that big nose we will smash it, vanzwe kurwadziwa. Nekuti handinzwisise kuti dzavo ipfungwa dzakaita sei, every week they are debating Zimbabwe, but Zimbabwe is not their country. We are not debating them, we do not care what they do, In fact, vanotoita zvinotosemesa, murume anochatiswa nemurume, ukuwo mukadzi nemukadzi vochatiswa."
British companies have been organising fund-raising luncheons for, and sponsoring independent presidential aspirant Dr Simba Makoni, and recently British Premier Gordon Brown announced that his country had increased funding for opposition activities ahead of the forthcoming elections from £2,5million to £3,3 million in direct contravention of the Political Parties Finance Act that criminalses external funding of political parties in Zimbabwe.
On Monday, Britain and its allies in the European Union prejudged the forthcoming elections claiming conditions on the ground were not conducive for the holding of free and fair elections. Cde Mugabe urged Zanu-PF candidates at all levels to assist in educating voters in their constituencies so that they would not spoil their ballots or cast them in favour of the opposition, saying that was one of the ways through which Zanu-PF could deliver a telling blow on the British and their surrogate projects in Zimbabwe.
President Mugabe donated 130 computers and printers -10 apiece - to 13 schools from Chirumhanzu, Gweru, Kwekwe, Gokwe North and Gokwe South districts of Midlands Province.
He was accompanied to the rally by First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe, Rural Housing and Social Amenities Minister Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa, Minister without Portfolio Cde Elliot Manyika, and senior Politburo and Central Committee members from Midlands Province, along with candidates at all levels.
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People of Zimbabwe be careful of divide and rule from these western countries. Why is it they always want to see whats happening in our country? These western countries have sponored so many wars in Africa and the world for they benefit. Looking at gukurahundi ask yourself what was the cause and i mean the truth, why going back in the bush to fight your on brother just because you did not win elections Can we go back when our fore fathers were killed and robbed by the ndebele people? No we can not thats only history,lets look forward to build our country.Those who left the country after doing wrong must pay for what they did, mainly the banking sector who robbed our poor people their hard earned money. I wonder why Britian is keeping these criminals and they talk of rule of law
If people say the British are bad and they ruin our country why dont you ask your selves why do they live a better life than ours.why do we come to their country, well yall say Zimbabweans in England are creating a bad name for the country.Are you sure its them or the president and the zanu-pf who are so selfish and think about themselves and their families than any one else.What that man is doing is just simple wrong and dispeakable. I think everyone in Zimbabwe should have freedom of speech coz its just not there, if you voice your opinion and they dont like it you get beaten to death or loose your home.I thought we had our independence day in 1980 its a shame we are still fighting co they aint no independence in Zimbabwe.Some of those people are prisoners in their own country.If anyone deserves to go to prison believe it wont be people like me who are trying to live our lives but the whole Zanu-pf including Mugabe.
If people say the British are bad and they ruin our country why dont you ask your selves why do they live a better life than ours.why do we come to their country, well yall say Zimbabweans in England are creating a bad name for the country.Are you sure its them or the president and the zanu-pf who are so selfish and think about themselves and their families than any one else.What that man is doing is just simple wrong and dispeakable. I think everyone in Zimbabwe should have freedom of speech coz its just not there, if you voice your opinion and they dont like it you get beaten to death or loose your home.I thought we had our independence day in 1980 its a shame we are still fighting coz they aint no independence in Zimbabwe.Some of those people are prisoners in their own country.If anyone deserves to go to prison believe it wont be people like me who are trying to live our lives but the whole Zanu-pf including Mugabe.
I believe that this statement is more than justified in that many Zimbabweans who were having it all on a plate in Zims, have abused the privalages granted them and have gone to other countries, and have lied and brought shame on the country, making false acqusations and entreprepreting a bad and flase image of the country. Lets be honest here many people have left the country because of the sanctions called for by Morgan tsg and his cronies and implemented by Britian and its allies the death wish is not on Mugabe its on the people because that is where the tangiable outcomes can be measured.