allAfrica.com: South Africa: 'Blair Admitted Telling Lies About Zim to Mbeki' (Page 1 of 1)

Former British prime minister Tony Blair admitted to South African President Thabo Mbeki that his government had erred on Zimbabwe but could not openly admit it without losing face.

Cde Mugabe, who was addressing his biggest star rally to date - an estimated 40 000 plus supporters who packed Chipadze Stadium in Bindura while thousands of others had to be locked out on account of limited sitting and standing space - said Blair had vowed that he would not go back on the lies he peddles on Zimbabwe as they had been swallowed by his allies and media embeds.

"Vana Blair vakatya vakati tikataura kuti takonana nevarume ava pamusoro pevhu, tinokoneswa tirisu nekuti ndisu takatadza, ndisu tisina kuzadzisa chivimbiso chatanga tapa. Ndozvaakazotaura izvozvo, handiri kutaura zvangu zvekufungidzira asi zvandakaudzwa naPresident Mbeki that Blair actually admitted that his government was wrong.

"Obvunzwa naPresident Mbeki kuti: 'If your government was wrong, what then are you doing to correct that wrong?' Zvikanzi izvo: 'Ah, iyezvino tatoudza vanhu kare kuti ha taranga Zimbabwe nemasanctions pamusana pekuti hakuna hurumende ikoko irikutonga zvakanaka, Hurumende yavo irikudzvanyirira vanhu, Hurumende yacho zvakare haina democracy, Hurumende yacho haisiri kutevera murawo, the rule of law. Taudza vanhu vedu kare, vemapepa, majournalists varikuzviziva ah saka totoramba takasimbirira nenhema dzatakataura.

'Eh, so we can't go back,' he said, 'so we shall always be liars, telling lies,' and these are the lies they are telling even right up to this day," said Cde Mugabe to cheers and jubilant singing from the packed stadium.

On November 5 1997, Blair's government reneged on the obligations entered into by the Tory administration of Mrs Margaret Thatcher in 1979 to bankroll land reforms in Zimbabwe, saying Labour was a new government made up of people, among them the Irish, who were also colonised and not colonisers, and as such they did not have any obligation to fund land reforms in Zimbabwe.

This blatant violation of the international law of succession that binds successive governments to honour agreements entered into by predecessors prompted the Government to compulsorily acquire land from white commercial farmers with compensation being paid only for developments on the farms. This, Cde Mugabe said, was what riled the British, prompting them to impose ruinous economic sanctions on Zimbabwe in the hope that the resultant hardships would force people to revolt against the Government.

He chronicled the gamut of economic sanctions on Zimbabwe, saying the fact that the economy was dominated by British companies, over 400 of them, who worked in cahoots with London, was what had worsened the effects of the sanctions. But the policies the Government had adopted, among them the Look East Policy, he said, were the key to defeating British machinations.

"Patiri apa maBritish vari kuti vanhu ava tavatadza sei, kubva varamba vakamira nemakumbo maviri, dai vanga vava iyezvino pagumbo rimwe chete taizviona? Kubva vati chaizvo-izvo dzi? Ehe, tinoramba takati dzi, we will never collapse. I have told them kuUnited Nations ikoko taenda ko. The British want regime change. Havaigone, regime change inoitwa nevanhu vedu. Simba rekuchinja zvinhu riri muvanhu vedu, ndimi makatisarudza, ndimi zvakare munogona kutibvisa muzvigaro zvatiri moisa vamwe," he said to applause from jubilant supporters.

He said all the programmes the Government was launching, among them the farm mechanisation programme, had been made possible by assistance from its Eastern partners. Zanu-PF, Cde Mugabe said, is a people's party which derives its mandate from the majority. He took a swipe at independent presidential candidate Simba Makoni for trying to impose himself on the people, and MDC faction leader Morgan Tsvangirai for being a willing British stooge.

"Hamungaterere nhasi vanhu vamakanga musina, hutungamiri hwakanga husiko hondo yeChimurenga payakarwiwa. Vasina zvavo kumboda kubata apa nepapa. "KuMDC ndiani ariko? Tsvangirai akasevenza kuno, kuTrojan ikoko, tea boy. Anoti iye: 'Nekuti ndakaita basa rekupa tea, ndaipa vose vose, ndiyo democracy iyoyo, ndokwandakaifunda.' Handisirini ndakadaro, ndiye akadaro, 'that's where I derived my principles of democracy mukuserver tea," Cde Mugabe said to laughter from the crowd. Tsvangirai has been running advertisements likening democracy to being a waiter, and that one of the former world leaders -- ironically Ugandan autocrat Idi Amin - started off as a waiter.

Cde Mugabe thanked the people of Mashonaland Central for always sweeping all constituencies for Zanu-PF, saying they could not afford to do less as one of the luminaries of the First Chimurenga, Mbuya Chahwe - the medium of the Nehanda Spirit -- hailed from that province, a province that also launched the decisive phases of the Second Chimurenga true to Mbuya Nehanda's prophecy that her bones would rise again to decimate settler rule.

Cde Mugabe said it was because of the overwhelming support Zanu-PF draws from the province that he always addressed his final rally before election day in Mashonaland Central.

"Saka ndo finale yataita kuno, nekuti kuno vanogara vakabuda shudhu. Hongu kuHarare tichafamba zvedu mangwana, asi kunenge kuri kungobatsira, asi finale yedu ndiyoyi. Saka finale zvainoitwa, music inobva yaenda kumusoro, ndiyo yavanoti pachirungu crescendo. Inoperera kupi? Kumusoro crescendo, saka ndiyo yatinoda iyoyo crescendo (tomorrow)," he said to loud slogans from the packed stadium.

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