Maravi

(NEWZIMBABWE) Thousands rally against sanctions

Thousands rally against sanctions
by AP/Staff Reporter
02/03/2011 00:00:00

THOUSANDS of Zanu PF supporters are launching a petition against Western economic sanctions on Zimbabwe.

Trucks and buses carrying President Robert Mugabe’s supporters arrived Wednesday at the Glamis stadium field on the edge of the city center as a volatile mood mounted.
The supporters sang slogans and raised Mugabe's trademark clenched fist salute; there were no immediate reports of violence.

Mugabe, who is scheduled to address the rally, insists the sanctions have destroyed Zimbabwe's economy. Critics, though, blame his land distribution programme for crippling the country's agriculture industry.

The state-run Herald newspaper said Mugabe would “append the first signature to the National Anti-Sanctions Petition as Zimbabwe goes a step further in fighting the illegal western sanctions on the country”.

The paper added: “Vice President Joice Mujuru - who will be out of the country on official business - has already signed.

“Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his deputies Arthur Mutambara and Thokozani Khupe are scheduled to sign after Vice President John Nkomo.”

But Tsvangirai’s MDC party rubbished the report in a statement, describing the anti-sanctions document as a “Zanu PF violence petition”.

“The MDC wishes to distance itself from such blatant lies. Neither President Tsvangirai nor any MDC officials and members are associated with this Zanu PF project,” the statement said.

“Zanu PF is desperate to lend credence to its work after realising that the majority of Zimbabweans, who support the MDC, have no business with a discredited party that lost the March 2008 general elections.

“The MDC dissociates itself from an unpopular and bloodthirsty Zanu PF party responsible for mass terror, mass abuse and wholesale deaths of thousands of innocent Zimbabweans during the past 30 years.”

Labels: DEMONSTRATION, SANCTIONS, ZDERA

posted by MrK @ 2:32 PM