Maravi

(HERALD) No agreement yet: President

No agreement yet: President
By Sydney Kawadza

Zanu-PF has not reached any agreement with the two MDC formations over "outstanding" Global Political Agreement issues and will not do so until the issue of sanctions is fully addressed, President Mugabe has said.

Addressing the 80th Ordinary Session of the Central Committee at the party’s headquarters in Harare yesterday, President Mugabe also castigated Zimbabweans who were against the indigenisation and economic empowerment drive.

"References to (RBZ Governor Dr Gideon) Gono, (Attorney-General Mr Johannes) Tomana and (Roy) Bennett is nothing because it has never been part of the agreement.

"The reply from Zanu-PF has always been the same: Gono and Tomana have no case to answer while Bennett has a criminal case in the courts.

"The position is that they cannot be any further concessions from us unless the illegal sanctions are gone," President Mugabe said.

He dismissed reports of agreement on re-appointment of provincial governors.

"They are just paying lip service to the issue of sanctions and they need to do more.

"Hamheno avo vanotaura kuti takawirana panyaya yacho.

"Kana ivo vanonyora mumapepa kuti Gono kana Tomana vachaenda hamheno kwavanozviwana.

"Tomana na Gono hapana kwavanoenda. The sanctions must go first!"

On the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act, President Mugabe said "a backward mentality" of servitude to whites informed opponents of the law and its accompanying regulations.

"There are a lot of companies that are being set up in the country but our people still want to be workers and they have never sought to rise above that and become entrepreneurs.

"You are not looking at being the owners of the businesses and when you rise to management levels you get blinkered because that is what the owners want you to be.

"They will continue to be what they have been since 1890, being masters, while you are content to being the chief executive officer.

"These CEOs will oppose empowerment programmes we are trying to push.

"They will oppose because they have been conditioned to being below someone.

"If there are some of us (in Zanu-PF) who oppose it, then they are backward members of the party.

"Hamudi kuita imi vene venyika, zvinoshamisa! But I hope they are not many among us who are opposed to the drive.

"I can assure you that that it (indigenisation) is the right arm that will rope in young people to be empowered," he said.

President Mugabe said the indigenisation programme was designed to benefit young entrepreneurs and not established businesspersons.

"Iye zvino tirikutaura ana Chiadzwa, Chimanimani asi hatisati taona some blacks who have put together their resources to constitute a company to participate in the mining activities.

"We have a lot of geologists vanenge vachingoshandira varungu. We have been forced to make a choice between companies that are non-Zimbabwean. Where are the young men we educated over the years?

"You should never say ‘hatina mari’. Ivo vese vanouya havana mari.

"They come together and look at opportunities of borrowing that exist and indicate that they have the capacity to go into business.

"They do not draw from their pockets but draw from these facilities. Come to us and we can assist you," he said.

President Mugabe expressed disappointment at non-participation of Zimbabweans in the mining sector.

"Let’s grow out of the slave mentality and be our own masters. Takabva tapondwa pfungwa zvekusaziva kuti tinozviitira tega.

"Even the companies that are mining our diamonds are not our people.

"Everything being done is not an initiative from our own people. Let’s be awake. Zuva rangori rabuda kare!"

President Mugabe implored the Zanu-PF leadership to move with the times.

He said the party should develop in tandem with practicalities while maintaining its founding ideologies.

The Central Committee resolved and supported the stance taken by the President of the Republic of South Africa, Cde Jacob Zuma, on the matter of the immediate removal of illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe with immediate effect.

The Central Committee demands that those countries that imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe, particularly UK, US and EU should immediately remove the illegal sanctions they have unlawfully imposed.

The Central Committee further resolved that the resolutions of all the outstanding issues should be concluded concurrently with the removal of the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.

Labels: GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, MDC, ZANU-PF

posted by MrK @ 4:05 PM