Maravi

(ZIMBABWE GUARDIAN) MDC provoked freedom fighters, war vets

MDC provoked freedom fighters, war vets
Floyd Nkomo
Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:07:00 +0000

Zimbabwe war veterans march against the MDC

ZIMBABWE’S liberation war veterans have accused the opposition Movement for Democratic Change of defying laws of the country by announcing the results of the harmonized elections before the electoral commission had made the official announcement. Close to a thousand guerrilla war veterans marched through the capital Friday, in defiance of the opposition MDC’s announcement that they had won the elections and their leader Morgan Tsvangirai was the new President of Zimbabwe.

The war veterans said claims of election victory by the opposition MDC were a “provocation against freedom fighters.”

War veterans’ leader Jabulani Sibanda told a press conference after the march that the veterans would repel any attempt by white farmers to repossess farms currently held by Black Zimbabweans.

“It looks like these elections were a way to open for the re-invasion of this country (by the British),” he told a press conference citing “provocation and interference” by outside forces.

“Under the current circumstances the spirit of our people is being provoked. We will be forced to defend our sovereignty," Sibanda said. “We must not be pushed.”

“This is a country he [Morgan Tsvangirai] might not even govern,” said the veterans.

“The election has been seen as a way to reopen the invasion of our people by whites,” he said. “A good number of white people have been seen proclaiming victory for their candidate Morgan Tsvangirai.”

War veterans helped end white minority rule in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). They spearheaded the takeovers of white-owned commercial farms in recent years.

Sibanda said Western sanctions meant the elections in Zimbabwe could not be conducted fairly.

“The elections were held under very difficult conditions of sanctions that have been imposed against us as a weapon by imperialist countries.

“I cannot say the elections were free and fair when people were being pushed by hunger and illegal sanctions to conduct themselves in a way that could have been different,” he said.

Labels: ELECTIONS, JABULANI SIBANDA, WAR VETERANS

posted by MrK @ 11:28 AM