via I’ll kick them out: Mugabe – DailyNews Live by Gift Phiri 28 MARCH 2014
President Robert Mugabe yesterday attacked the State media for using extraordinary measures to impose a media blackout on retired Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono, saying he would kick out those responsible.
Mugabe was speaking after touring Gono’s highly-mechanised Donnington Farm in Norton.
He said the “Press” has embarked on a campaign to stifle Gono, which he said started with unofficial censorship and self-censorship, and quickly evolved into open gagging of the Senator-designate by State media outlets.
“And kuPress, they tell me some of them that they are not allowed to print anything that has to do with VaGono and say izvi ndezvaVaGono (this was done by Gono),” Mugabe said. “Ahhh, why not? Ndingade kumuziva iyeye anonzi ari kudaro (I would like to know who is saying that).
“I visited this project, I am happy with what I have seen and I wish that many of our people could come and learn how Dr Gono and Mai (Mrs) Gono have put this together. But also perhaps even try to discuss with him, even to be assisted how to run small chicken projects in our various places. He is ready to do that.
“Since when did he become the enemy of the party and of government? Ah hameno (I don’t know). So the Press, Press, Press, Press, if indeed you have been instructed not to write your articles and say what you have seen is a project yaVaGono (Gono’s) and say only you have seen some project by a Zimbabwean, I would want you to, if you are going to write about this, and say the president, yes, visited VaGono naMai Gono kuproject yavo yekuno semaitiro andagara ndichiita gore ne gore (…Gono and his wife at his I’ll kick them out: project as I do year in year out). VaGono ndivo vandavhakachira (I have visited Gono). No other person.
“If anyone says you should not have written their names, come and tell me and that person will get my boot on his backside. No and we don’t want to be doing that to each other.
“But we don’t want also this clandestine secret way of going at each other and avoiding each other.
“Hanzi vangatitorere mabasa. Vanokutorerai mabasa api? Mune mabasa enyu amakapiwa nani? Handiti ndini ndakavapa ini (They say he will get their jobs. What job? Who gave you those jobs. Isn’t it me who gave you those jobs?) Anywhere there it is, we work together.”
Mugabe’s remarks have fuelled speculation that Gono is the favourite to be named Zimbabwe’s new Finance minister in an impending reshuffle with the economic crisis flaring and investors scrutinising Zimbabwe’s widening deficit.
Gono is a disciple of Mugabe who revels in steering the economy through sanctions-induced difficulties.
Gono resigned as governor in Zimbabwe’s central bank in December at the end of his second five-year term, with Charity Dhliwayo stepping in as acting governor.
Gono, born in November 1959, was appointed to head the central bank in December 2003 from the CBZ Bank like his successor John Mangudya and said he took the job because he relished the challenge.
Gono was re-appointed as Central Bank governor for a second five-year term in November 2008, a term which expired in December.
Mugabe said Gono was appointed to head the central bank because of his success story in turning around the CBZ bank.
“He worked with us for a long time, CBZ ndovakaimutsa, vakauya takavaita (he revived it and we) appoint(ed him) governor of the (central) bank, 10 years, the last five years, not very good because of the GNU tinozviziva (we know), we all know what the problem was,” Mugabe said.
The 90-year-old Zanu PF leader said Gono was a businessman of note who borrowed money to finance his farming and fast-growing chicken industry.
“He borrowed money for the project even though he was in the Reserve Bank, he was also a borrower,” Mugabe said.
“He still owes. But he will pay, he has the capacity to pay, that’s what happens in business. If you owe and you have no capacity to pay, ah, then you must liquidate, you see. And so let’s learn a few lessons from him. He wants this knowledge to get to others.”
Mugabe described Gono as “business minded”
“Mai Gono tinotenda, zvikanganwahama tazvidya zvakawanda, hatikukanganwei (We ate a lot of gizzards, we won’t forget you) in spite of that. Zvinoita kuti tirambe tichikuyeukai (We will continue to remember you),” Mugabe said.
Gono said he was ready to move in and help those who have been unable to utilise their farms.
“Those of our colleague landowners who may not have been able for one reason or another to be able to farm to the full this year, we have gone offshore, so to speak, offshore meaning outside the boundaries of our farms, to get close to 4-5 thousand hectares to try and make sure we fully utilise our land, so we hope next year, we do three, four times that.
“Not that we are encouraging people not to be serious about farming, but whoever is not able to utilise their farm we are there to move in for maximum utilisation,” Gono said.
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