{UAH} Mugabe guns r blazing -Mugabe ridicules SA at election rally

Mugabe ridicules SA at election rally
by Shylet Shumba, July 24 2013, 06:09

People: Morgan Tsvangirai | Robert Mugabe
MUTARE — Zimbabweans are "literally running" the South African economy, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe said on Tuesday, but added that he was not to blame for the high number of citizens who had fled his country.
Clearly still piqued with South Africa after the high-profile row at the weekend over President Jacob Zuma's international relations adviser, Lindiwe Zulu, Mr Mugabe took a number of well-aimed potshots at the country. Among his targets were its education system and its support for gay rights.
He was speaking at an election rally in Mutare, a week before elections, preparations for which have been clouded by funding problems and foreign criticism.
Mr Mugabe said he was ashamed of the high number of Zimbabwean citizens in South Africa as they were taking jobs from South Africans. South Africans were resorting to violence due to an influx of Zimbabweans, who took most of the jobs in hotels and other businesses, he said.
"We feel ashamed of the influx of Zimbabweans in South Africa. If you go to their hotels, there are Zimbabweans all over. The same applies to other businesses. Zimbabweans are literally running the South African economy. South Africans end up attacking Zimbabweans because there are just too many in that country," Mr Mugabe said.
"The situation is made worse by the high number of border jumpers, especially those from Matabeleland South. In that region, it is a tradition that most men cross the Limpopo River to work in South Africa, where they will come back home once or twice a year. There are more women than men in Matabeleland because men are immigrant workers in South Africa, from where they come back with blankets and bicycles after their sojourn there.
"The blame of their migration is heaped on Mugabe. People say they are running away from Mugabe and I am now their passport to enter foreign lands like Britain and South Africa.
"Even Mrs (Janet) Banana (wife of the first president of Zimbabwe), when she went to the UK she said she was running away from Mugabe's oppression, yet she wanted to settle with her children there. How evil am I to oppress an old lady like Mrs Banana?"
Mr Mugabe said despite economic challenges facing Zimbabwe, it still had a better education system than South Africa's. "We beat South Africa in education. We have a 91% literacy rate and no country in Africa is above 90% save for us. South Africa is third, behind Equatorial Guinea, at an 86% literacy rate.
"As Zimbabweans, our desire was to create more jobs, but we were being hampered by the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change). We were telling them to release money to distressed companies, especially the $500m from the International Monetary Fund's special drawing rights. (Finance Minister Tendai) Biti remained shifting the goalposts and we do not know where the money is right now.
"They don't care about Zimbabweans' sufferings because they have houses in South Africa where they fly every weekend to enjoy themselves, leaving you to suffer here in Zimbabwe," Mr Mugabe said.
He condemned South Africa for upholding gay rights. "We are unlike South Africa, which upholds gay rights. We will deal with them here. Gay rights are not human rights. I am despised in some parts of the world because I said gays and lesbians are worse than pigs and dogs because these animals know their mates. We cannot allow our children to be worse than wild animals," he said.
Turning to his rival, MDC-T president Morgan Tsvangirai, the prime minister, Mr Mugabe described him as a frog that jumps from one woman to another.
"Tsvangirai is like a frog which jumps from one woman to the other. He wanted to swallow all women like a python. He almost swallowed you during the 2008 harmonised elections and we should make him vomit," he said.
"When he joined the inclusive government, we consented to some of their demands, but said no to them taking over the defence ministry. To us the defence ministry is where our life is. That ministry should not be tampered with.
"Tsvangirai is a coward, more like my late Uncle Shoniwa's dog, Sekahurema, which used to run away from game when we were hunting. It died without killing a single prey, and the same will happen to Tsvangirai," he said.
Mr Mugabe said Zanu (PF) never rigged elections. "The MDC is saying we rig elections, but they know for a fact that they play second fiddle to us in elections. We are a mature people and we are not having elections for the first time. We have had good elections in the past and we will have them again this year."