“It’s sad, isn’t it” that some black people in Zimbabwe have gone to sleep and allowed white people to take over Zimbabwean land, asks President Robert Mugabe.
Speaking to Zimbabwe national TV to mark his 93rd birthday, Mugabe said he was proud that “most of the land that used to be in the hands of the settlers is now in the hands of our own people”.
However, the Zimbabwean president said it’s sad that black farmers in Zimbabwe have handed over management of their farms to white people.
He said that it was “stupid” that some black people “have really gone to sleep and the whites have taken over once again”.
According to News24, Mugabe said that “whites would be happy to see us continue to work for them.”
The frail Mugabe has been in the news even more regularly than usual lately. He has recently responded to EFF leader Julius Malema, who called on him to step down and hand over to young people in the ruling Zanu-PF.
“President Mugabe must let go!” said the EFF leader, adding that “Zimbabwe’s situation is bad. President Mugabe can’t even control a spade. That’s how old he is. He’s no longer capable of discharging his responsibilities. We don’t hate the man. They can respond and insult us.”
Mugabe responded: “Do you listen to anything from Malema? Who is Malema? The call to step down must come from my party; my party at congress; my party at central committee. [In such circumstances] I will step down.” Mugabe has been in power since 1980.
He added that he’d resign if he felt he was no longer physically fit to do his job.
“But then what do you see? It’s the opposite. They want me to stand for elections, they want me to stand for elections everywhere in the party … Of course if I feel that I can’t do it any more, I will say so to my party so that they relieve me. But for now I think I can’t say so … The majority of the people feel that there is no replacement; [a] successor who to them is acceptable, as acceptable as I am.”
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