Zimbabwe govt hits back at Malema




Nick Mangwana
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ZIMBABWE will not be lectured by misinformed and misguided regional parties such as the South African Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on anything as the country is not a province of South Africa.

Responding to a misleading statement issued by the Generation 40 (G40) linked EFF, which sought to cast aspersions at the recently signed US$3.5 billion Global Compensation Deed (GCD) deal between Government and representatives of former white farmers, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Mr Nick Mangwana said the agreement was a fulfilment of constitutional provisions.

“The compensation of the said farmers is in line with the Zimbabwe Constitution, overwhelmingly voted for by the majority of Zimbabweans, political leaders across the divide included.

Specifically, Chapter 16, Section 295 Sub Section 3, as read with Section 72 Sub Section 3 (a), obligates the State to pay compensation for improvements that were on land when such land was acquired,” he said.

Julius Malema’s EFF, which has offered a political home to members of the decapitated G40 faction, who are running away from the long arm of the law, in its statement wrongly claimed that the Government would pay for the land with money that has since been secured but this is far from the truth.

Under the historic agreement, that was sealed at State House on Wednesday, and which puts to rest the land question, both Government and the white former farmers will mobilise financing of the Global Compensation Deed and payment is only for improvements that were made at the farms, not the land.

“Government has not ‘secured’ the US$3.5 billion compensation as again claimed by Malema. Following the signing, both sides will now jointly mount initiatives to raise the funds.

“Any claims contrary to the above-stated facts which are publicly available, point to deliberate misinformation or lack of understanding of the intricate nature of Zimbabwe’s land history,” said Mr Mangwana.

The Permanent Secretary reminded the EFF that President Mnangagwa “is well aware of the causes of the economic challenges bedevilling Zimbabwe and does not need to rely on hastily made conclusions by excitable entities that are yet to garner requisite experience in management of such issues”.

He said had Malema and his partners used appropriate diplomatic channels, he could have been told the real facts around the historic land deal that has been hailed globally as a milestone.

“Government also takes offence at the uncouth but unsurprising attacks on the person of President Mnangagwa by Malema who appears to be under the illusion that vulgarity is an ideology. We therefore wish to remind Mr Malema that Zimbabwe is not a province of South Africa or one of his shacks and he should leave Zimbabweans to deal with Zimbabwean issues.

“While Zimbabwe welcomes any counsel from its neighbours, Government is of the view that Malema, as one of the opposition leaders in South Africa, is better occupied tackling challenges in his own country rather than pronouncing himself on matters he is not well versed with in Zimbabwe,” he said

Commenting on the same issue, Zanu PF director for Information and Publicity Cde Tafadzwa Mugwadi said Malema has no moral ground to talk about Zimbabwe.

“Mr Julius Malema or marema, whatever is the proper pronunciation, has no moral ground to poke his nose and uncircumcised mouth on matters of Zimbabwe, which he is historically, foundationally and contemporarily unschooled on. It is not only surprising but absolute hogwash that while our Zimbabwean indigenous farmers who benefited from the land reform itself are yet to comment, Mr Malema and his moribund group of provocateurs, desperate of waning domestic traction in SA politics, think that Zimbabwe is a readily available vantage from which to revive fading fortunes.

“As a candid reminder, Mr Malema has never dealt with nor can he claim any experience in empirical management of decolonisation processes to which land is the nuclei. Until he can give us a single exemplary EFF beneficiary of land reform in his own society, then we have neither parlance nor parity with him or his outfit,” said Cde Mugwadi.

He said by accommodating political misfits in the form of former G40 functionaries, and becoming their puppet, Malema will soon meet his Waterloo just as did the former.

Zimbabwe is one of the few countries in the world that has successfully given land back to the majority, while in neighbouring countries the black majority continue to coax a living on the economic margins. – Herald