Mugabe tells parties to cool it over polls

19 April 2012 - 11:43 By Reuters
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Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe yesterday urged political parties to ensure that the imminent general election is peaceful amid a rise in violence that he blamed on ambitious politicians staking their claims as candidates.

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe at a celebration to mark the country's 32nd independence anniversary in Harare yesterday Picture: REUTERS
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe at a celebration to mark the country's 32nd independence anniversary in Harare yesterday Picture: REUTERS
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe at a celebration to mark the country's 32nd independence anniversary in Harare yesterday Picture: REUTERS
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe at a celebration to mark the country's 32nd independence anniversary in Harare yesterday Picture: REUTERS

"It's very sad that we are seeing ugly fights in constituencies sponsored by MPs and potential candidates," he said at a rally to mark 32 years of independence from Britain.

Opponents say Mugabe hung on to power in a 2008 election by rigging the polls and allowing independence war veterans and the youth brigade of Zanu-PF to attack opposition candidates.

Mugabe said Zanu-PF would stick to its highly criticised drive to force foreign firms to surrender majority stakes to locals.

The empowerment plan was to correct colonial injustices, he said.

Mugabe was forced into a power-sharing deal with long-time foe and now Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai after the 2008 election, which Western powers said was marred by Zanu-PF violence and intimidation.

Under the terms of the deal, elections must be held by next year with political reforms and a new constitution in place.

Tsvangirai slammed the drive against foreign firms as "greedy looting" and "political jingoism".

"We have disagreed in this government because there are others who want to perpetuate the old culture of expropriation, looting and self-aggrandisement clad in new and misleading nomenclature such as 'indigenisation'," he said yesterday.

Critics said the indigenisation drive is aimed more at filling Zanu-PF coffers ahead of elections than helping the majority of the population who must exist on less than $1 a day.

On Monday, Indigenisation, Youth and Economic Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere, a Zanu-PF member, said he expected to finalise the transfer of majority stakes in foreign mining companies to local blacks by the end of the month.

Resource-rich Zimbabwe has the world's second-largest platinum reserves after South Africa, and gold and diamond deposits.

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