Zimbabwe’s
President Robert Mugabe blasted Nelson Mandela as a “coward” and
“idiot” during a rally today to celebrate Mugabe’s record seventh term
in office following his victory in the country’s disputed elections last
week.
In one of his trademark fiery speeches, the 89-year-old Mugabe —
who has led the southern African country since 1980 — claimed that he
should be hailed as an African hero instead of Mandela, the
anti-apartheid icon and former president of neighboring South Africa.
“My huge victory in these elections prove I am the greatest leader
in the history of Africa,” Mugabe told supporters in Zimbabwe’s capital,
Harare. “I have spent my whole life fighting for the Zimbabwean people
and they continue to elect me.”
Mugabe tightened his iron grip on power in last week’s elections
after he received 61 percent of the vote while his ZANU-PF party won a
two-thirds majority in parliament, though there are allegations of
widespread fraud and violence against the opposition.
“I am the greatest African who has ever lived,” Mugabe said. “The
world should love me more than the idiot Nelson Mandela. F**k Nelson
Mandela. As I waged war against colonialism, that coward sat on his ass
in prison for 27 years. He’s a coward.
“I have been leader for 33 years. Mandela was president for five
years. What kind of idiot gives up political power? Great leaders like
me know how to stay in power.
“While Mandela sits comfortably in a hospital, I stand before you
fit and healthy, ready to lead this country and the Zimbabwean people
for at least another 25 years,” Mugabe added, referring to the
95-year-old Mandela’s ongoing treatment for a lung condition.
Mugabe also mocked South Africa’s multicultural “rainbow nation” in
his speech, claiming that Mandela didn’t care about the interests of
black Africans.
“There is only one color allowed in Zimbabwe, and it is black,” he
said. “I banned the color white in my country. Nelson Mandela told all
the white people to stay in his ridiculous rainbow nation. He should
have thrown all of the whites and homosexuals out of his country like I
did. South Africa would be so much better off.”
The Lord of Misrule
Mandela served as South Africa’s president from 1994 to 1999 and is
highly regarded at home and worldwide for his role in ending apartheid
and becoming the country’s first democratically elected leader.
Similar to Mandela, Mugabe played a pivotal role in the struggle
for black-majority rule against the white minority-controlled Rhodesia,
which became Zimbabwe.
In recent years, however, Mugabe and his government have plunged
the country into diplomatic and economic isolation due to corruption,
authoritarian rule, political violence and human rights abuses.
Mugabe
drew international condemnation in particular over his land
redistribution policies, in which prosperous commercial farmers were
chased off their land by violent mobs.
South Africa, which borders Zimbabwe, has pursued a policy of
silent diplomacy with Mugabe, appeasing him in public while supposedly
criticizing him in private.
South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma, who congratulated Mugabe on
his presidential victory, said he would review Mugabe’s remarks before
making an official statement.
SOURCE: dailycurrant
No comments:
Post a Comment