Happy 34Th ZIM! ZIM

HARARE -President Robert Mugabe yesterday took an unusual step of showing support to expelled MDC rebels led by Elton Mangoma on the grounds that they had freedom of speech. The remarks raised eyebrows, given that Mugabe, in power for over three decades, is 90 but has not yet designated a successor in his own party. Mugabe spoke in the wake of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)’s move to expel a senior official and his allies who had failed to follow constitutional procedures to have party leader Morgan Tsvangirai quit. The MDC national council summarily expelled Mangoma, Last Maengahama, Jacob Mafume and Promise Mkwananzi. Mangoma in February alleged he had been beaten up by Tsvangirai loyalists while emerging from a party meeting. He lodged a police report, alleging Tsvangirai masterminded the beating, an accusation strenuously rejected by the MDC leader. Meanwhile President Robert Mugabe’s statements at the National Sports Stadium yesterday on the confusion around the indigenisation programme are most welcome given the spectacular slide our economy is going through. In a surprise but welcome address during Independence celebrations yesterday, Mugabe hit out at the circus around the indigenisation policy, which has seen investors shunning the country for countries like Zambia and South Africa. The indigenisation policy became notorious when minister of Water Saviour Kasukuwere was at the helm of the ministry of Indigenisation where he pushed through an aggressive drive to take over controlling stakes in foreign-owned companies. Said Mugabe: “In the implementation of the indigenisation programme, there has been some confusion. “We have said where the companies have been established mainly on the basis of natural resources, mining, agriculture, manufacturing, we demand that Zimbabwe either through government or through our people should have 51 percent and not less than 51 percent.