Saturday, January 12, 2013

Let's Create Our Firms, Says Zimbabwe President Mugabe

Let’s create our firms: President

Saturday, 12 January 2013 00:00
Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Reporter
Zimbabwe Herald

PRESIDENT Mugabe says Zimbabweans should create their own companies to ensure that 100 percent of the earnings from resources remain in the country. Addressing Zimbabweans studying in China recently, the President said Zimbabweans should have total control of their resources and destiny.

“Let us have our own companies. Let us do our own mining to ensure all companies are Zimbabwean and earnings will remain in the country and nothing goes out.

“We are getting 51 percent of the earnings while 49 percent goes out. The 49 percent is a huge sum of money and we should do our own mining and get 100 percent earnings.

“We are educated enough. We have our own geologists, metallurgists, civil engineers and many others.

“Some of them are working for big companies in our country, South Africa and elsewhere in the world,” he said.

President Mugabe said foreigners may partner Zimbabweans.

He encouraged the students in China to find pride in their own nation and to come back home after studies to work towards the total empowerment of Zimbabweans.

“If we send you to school or college and you come back saying ‘I want to be like Obama, Oh I want to be like Mr Bush’, you frighten us.

“You must be yourself,” he said.

The President said the inclusive Government was part of Zimbabwe’s struggle for total independence and empowerment.

He described it as a “three-headed monster” hindering total empowerment.

“Back home there is a struggle that is still a continuation of the liberation one, that is, to live in a world in which we would want to be masters of our own destiny. This inclusive thing we have, it has been a monster, in fact, a three-headed monster.

“The monster will go and give way for a proper Government. We refuse to be anything less than our own masters.”

The President expressed concern over the failure by African countries to collectively resist the West.

“As the African Union, we are supposed to be better than the Organisation of the African Unity but we are much worse, indeed.

“The founders of the OAU are gone. They are all dead. The rest are cowards and dastards.

All they want are fortunes and yet we can, as a united people, resist the West in a much stronger way than our forefathers.

“The leadership of Africa is, at the moment, very cowardly,” he said.

President Mugabe encouraged the students in China to work hard and to be of good character and conduct.

He urged them to come back to Zimbabwe and develop their own nation using the acquired skills.

President hailed the Chinese for standing their ground and uniting towards their country’s development.

The Chinese, President Mugabe said, were not torn apart by the capitalists.

President Mugabe, who was taking a break in China, chronicled the history of the liberation struggle mentioning China as one of the country’s most supportive friends.

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