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Zimbabwe is ready to defend itself - Ndlovu

Zimbabwe is ready to defend itself - Ndlovu
By George Chellah in Harare, Zimbabwe
Wednesday June 27, 2007 [04:00]

THE Zimbabwean government is more than ready to defend itself against any illegal attempts to overthrow it, Minister of Information and Publicity Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu has said. And Dr Ndlovu stated that the Zimbabwean government is in a much stronger position now politically and economically than ever. In a statement, Dr Ndlovu, who was reacting to out-going US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell’s predictions that the government would fall within six months, stated that the government still has the support of Zimbabweans.

“The US envoy can celebrate the misery and suffering of Zimbabweans brought about by his government through the imposition of self-serving illegal economic sanctions against Zimbabwe, but that misfortune doesn’t translate into the failure of government by any stretch of imagination,” Dr Ndlovu stated. “On Monday (last week) Mr Dell was the one to admit to journalists in Bulawayo that the regime change agenda his government was pushing had failed. The government of Zimbabwe continues to enjoy the support of its people and is more than ready to defend itself against any illegal attempts to overthrow it.”

He stated that the government dismisses Ambassador Dell’s malicious propaganda story with the contempt it deserves.

“Discredited out-going US Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Christopher Dell, has repeated his hateful utterances against the government of Zimbabwe to a British newspaper, The Guardian, predicting the fall of government in six months on the basis of the British and American sponsored sanctions and the resultant inflation,” Dr Ndlovu stated.

“The story has been picked up by other gullible Western media, including the BBC World Service, which are running away with his bite alone without the government voice to balance the story.”

Dr Ndlovu stated that the government was in a much stronger position now politically and economically than ever.

“Events on the ground speak for themselves. The recent signing of a social contract between government and its social partners, business and trade unions, demonstrates unity of purpose in stabilising the economy,” Dr Ndlovu stated. “The National Incomes and Pricing Commission set up recently has begun to address the issue of run away prices for goods and services and very soon the country will be witnessing a gradual fall in inflation figures from Mr Dell’s imagined ‘US$ 1.5 million per cent by the end of 2007’ to 25 per cent by the end of the year.”

He stated that the government has imported enough grain this year to feed the nation and Ambassador Dell holds this against it.

“And yet, he deliberately ignores the fact that the country has had the misfortune of experiencing persistent droughts, including this year when the country received erratic rains that affected crop yields,” Dr Ndlovu stated. “However, the first phase of the agricultural mechanisation programme launched by His Excellency the President early this month, and complemented by seed and fertiliser inputs to farmers will see food production at its highest this year.”

Dr Ndlovu stated that Zimbabwe’s health delivery system has greatly improved even with the illegal economic sanctions imposed by the British and American administrations in place. “HIV/AIDS prevalence in the country is now on the steep decline having been reduced to 18 per cent while life expectancy on average, has increased to 45 years from 34 previously,” he stated.

He also stated that the education system ranks the best in Africa with 98 per cent literacy rate.

“A recent report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows how much Britain and other developed countries have benefited from imported skilled labour from the developing countries, Zimbabwe and Ghana specifically,” stated Dr Ndlovu.

Last week, Ambassador Dell was quoted as having said that the Zimbabwean government would fall within six months due to inflation.

Labels: AGRICULTURE, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 4:12 AM