via Reduce aid reliance, Mugabe urges SADC 17 August 2014 by Reuters
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe on Sunday urged southern Africa to reduce its dependence on foreign aid and to make better use of its natural resources such as minerals and land.
Mugabe, Africa’s oldest leader and one of its longest-serving, was speaking at the opening of a two-day summit of the 15-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls tourist resort.
“Our continued over-reliance on the goodwill of our co-operation partners compromises our ownership of SADC,” he told the meeting.
“Our region has abundant resources which instead of being sold in raw form at very low prices must be exploited … to add value to the products which we export,” he said.
Mugabe, 90, was most recently re-elected over a year ago. He has consistently denied charges by the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) that his Zanu PF party has used violence and vote-rigging to stay in power since 2000.
SADC has been bogged down in mediating these electoral disputes in Zimbabwe for the last decade.
Days before the summit, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human rights said SADC’s credibility was at stake if the bloc did not address human rights violations among its members, including arrests of political activists and journalists.
The groups cited Angola, Malawi, Swaziland and Zambia as having committed human rights violations. Mugabe did not address the allegations in his speech.
Critics say Mugabe’s regional standing has been undermined by a long-running economic crisis in Zimbabwe, which they partly blame on his seizures and redistribution of white-owned commercial farms to landless people among the black population.
COMMENTS
Never will you get a contradictory person like Robert Mugabe. He is screaming for aid on the one hand and then makes this statement on the other. We all know that the sanctions they cry about is the freeing of aid from the “Evil” west. Even before they invaded the farms you could see the way they were going. Unfortunately the dependence syndrome has been part and parcel of this regime from it’s onset. Even if there were sanctions the fact that South Africa and neighbouring countries would still trade with Zimbabwe would have opened up an easy way of sanctions busting. Unless South Africa is also part of those that have imposed Sanctions on Zimbabwe.
Yes SADC reduce AID reliance but you will not beat Zimbabwe, the champion.
Mugabe is addicted to aid. He thinks he is entitle to as much of it as he can consume and when the supply is restricted he carries on like a two year old throwing a tantrum.
How the hell did he stay awake long enough to strong two sentences together? Moron.
Mugabe and his cohorts would have to give up the parties overseas trips the luxury cars and his milk processing equipment donated to him. Can’t see that happening too soon. Shows what planet he lives on. Dysfunctional idiot.
Mugabe taking himself and his idiotic utterances so seriously while everyone else sniggers behind his back at the basket case of Zimbabwe.
Has he any idea how people dis him, loathe him!!
Oh and by the way the reason he is Chair of SADC is not because other Africans applaud him, it is because their leaders (who are just like him) applaud him. NOT THE PEOPLE!!
Bob wants the surrounding countries to join him in ruining their countries which they are not likely to do. Why should they?