PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday said he would not brook foreign interference in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs.
Addressing mourners at the burial of the late national hero Highten Nkomo at the National Heroes Acre, Mnangagwa said: “Let us all take collective responsibility to ensure that we remain a peaceful and secure nation. As our harmonised general elections beckon, we must honour those that sacrificed for our freedom by saying no to violence and no to undue foreign interference in our internal affairs.”
This follows a plea in August by the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change leader Nelson Chamisa for the United Nations to supervise next year’s elections to prevent a disputed outcome.
During the 2018 elections, Chamisa refused to concede defeat accusing Mnangagwa of electoral theft with the assistance of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
Mnangagwa also accused Britain of using the human rights mantra as a smokescreen to subvert the country’s sovereignty.
“Our erstwhile colonisers now come back to us feigning to be human rights champions, only by day and by night they continue to pursue nefarious programmes to subvert our independence, sovereignty and freedom.
“The then Soviet Union, China and other countries demonstrated their true friendship and respect for our freedom and human rights by helping us to attain our independence and sovereignty. These countries should pursue friendly, progressive and win-win relations never seeking to degrade our self-identity.”
He said in honour of the late Nkomo and other departed cadres, young people should be patriotic and commit themselves to acquiring good education and develop Zimbabwe.
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On sanctions, Mnangagwa said: “Despite the sanctions, our country has moved from recovery to growth under the National Development Strategy 1.”
He said power outages would be a thing of the past as the Hwange 7 and 8 power project was now 97% complete.
He described the late Nkomo as a very senior cadre during the liberation struggle.
Nkomo trained Zanu PF vice-president Kembo Mohadi and Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Philip Valerio Sibanda, among others at Chakwenga Camp.
Mnangagwa said during the war, Nkomo worked with the likes of the late former Air Force of Zimbabwe commander and Lands and Agriculture minister Perrance Shiri.
Nkomo was at one time manager at the late Vice-President John Nkomo’s farm.
