President Robert Mugabe marked the country's 24th anniversary of independence from Britain, saying the impoverished country's economy was improving and vowing to continue the seizure of white-owned farmland. Appearing near death thin and sounding hoarse, the 80-year-old Mugabe delivered a 40-minute speech saying he was now in the "wipe out phase" "mop up phase" of his land reform policy that has seen the often violent seizure of about 5,000 white-owned farms for redistribution to blacks. Mugabe accused white-owned export-oriented companies of "continuing to show contempt for his land policy and said "such land owners must have their resistance broken once and for all." Last week, a white-owned coffee processing plant and European vegetable exporter in the eastern district were raided by police and the army.
| Bob had to get his, y'know. |
"As expected, this far-reaching policy has not endeared us to those countries of the West led by Britain and the United States, which are unfortunately linked to us by the cruel history of colonial occupation and other forms of imperial plunder," Mugabe said.
| Who in the end supported your country's freedom. |
He blamed the country's current economic turmoil on sanctions by Western powers. He also blamed his good friends and cronies corrupt officials for stealing the country's gold and foreign currency. Mugabe attacked the almost 3 million Zimbabweans who fled the country to work abroad calling them "people who have run away to wash the bodies of elderly people in England. Yet we are giving farms to people here - what are you running away from?"
He said inflation was beginning to fall and the country was on the verge of an economic boom resulting from land reform. Annual inflation is estimated at 602 percent, one of the highest rates. The country also faces acute shortages of food, medicine, hard currency, gasoline and other essential goods. Unemployment is estimated at over 70 percent.
| "There's light at the end of the tunnel!" |
| Insert "Oncoming train" joke here. |
|