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.
“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
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