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Mugabe loosing the pups of war?

Mugabe loosing the pups of war?

HARARE – Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe has urged young ruling party supporters to wage a “vigorous campaign” to win next year’s general elections, saying he will hold them answerable for any defeat, a newspaper reported yesterday.

“If we lose the elections, I will expect you in the Youth League to be answerable,” Mugabe told hundreds of young supporters of his Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) on Saturday, the official Sunday Mail reported. The Zimbabwe president told the 2 400 youths meeting in Harare to “mount a vigorous campaign across the country to push (British prime minister) Tony Blair’s midgets out”, in a reference to legislators from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).Mugabe and his party say the five-year old MDC is a “puppet” of former colonial power Britain.A national youth training scheme, set up in 2001, has been criticised for allegedly indoctrinating its members against the opposition and the West, a charge the authorities deny.The opposition has called for the disbanding of youth training camps ahead of next year’s polls, claiming trainees use violence to campaign for the ruling party.Speaking at the two-day conference, Mugabe also hit out at high-profile members of his party who have taken more than one farm for themselves under a controversial land reform programme.In unusually strong criticism of top ruling party officials, Mugabe said he had received many complaints about political heavyweights who had taken more than one farm, according to the newspaper.”As per our tradition, a man can have as many wives as he wants as long as he can look after them.Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about farms,” Mugabe told the youths at the close of a conference held at the University of Zimbabwe.Four years ago, the Zimbabwe government launched a fast-track land reform programme that has seen thousands of new black farmers given previously white-owned farms.But the scheme has been dogged by controversy, following allegations that top politicians had taken many of the best properties.- Nampa-AFPThe Zimbabwe president told the 2 400 youths meeting in Harare to “mount a vigorous campaign across the country to push (British prime minister) Tony Blair’s midgets out”, in a reference to legislators from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).Mugabe and his party say the five-year old MDC is a “puppet” of former colonial power Britain.A national youth training scheme, set up in 2001, has been criticised for allegedly indoctrinating its members against the opposition and the West, a charge the authorities deny.The opposition has called for the disbanding of youth training camps ahead of next year’s polls, claiming trainees use violence to campaign for the ruling party.Speaking at the two-day conference, Mugabe also hit out at high-profile members of his party who have taken more than one farm for themselves under a controversial land reform programme.In unusually strong criticism of top ruling party officials, Mugabe said he had received many complaints about political heavyweights who had taken more than one farm, according to the newspaper.”As per our tradition, a man can have as many wives as he wants as long as he can look after them.Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about farms,” Mugabe told the youths at the close of a conference held at the University of Zimbabwe.Four years ago, the Zimbabwe government launched a fast-track land reform programme that has seen thousands of new black farmers given previously white-owned farms.But the scheme has been dogged by controversy, following allegations that top politicians had taken many of the best properties.- Nampa-AFP

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