Zim youth ‘support’ Mugabe

RECENT political violence in Zimbabwe is being perpetrated by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which is funded by western countries, a Zimbabwean youth leader claimed in Windhoek on Monday.

Donald Charumbira, a member of the Zimbabwean Youth Council and Secretary General of the Malaysia-based World Assembly of Youth, claimed that young Zimbabweans support Robert Mugabe’s government. “The foreigners will not be happy that we took the land back,” he also claimed.Charumbira made these claims at a press conference organised by the National Youth Council, where he presented the outcome of a recent conference of the SADC Youth Steering Committee held at Swakopmund.The committee consists of representatives of national youth bodies in the SADC region.Mugabe’s government has been widely condemned for arrests and assaults on opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and other MDC members last month while they were trying to attend a prayer rally.One MDC supporter was killed in the crackdown while Tsvangirai suffered a cracked skull.At an emergency SADC summit meeting on Zimbabwe held in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, last week, SADC leaders chose South African President Thabo Mbeki to mediate between the government of Zimbabwe and the opposition parties.”The foreigners will not be happy that we took the land back,” he also claimed.Charumbira made these claims at a press conference organised by the National Youth Council, where he presented the outcome of a recent conference of the SADC Youth Steering Committee held at Swakopmund.The committee consists of representatives of national youth bodies in the SADC region.Mugabe’s government has been widely condemned for arrests and assaults on opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and other MDC members last month while they were trying to attend a prayer rally.One MDC supporter was killed in the crackdown while Tsvangirai suffered a cracked skull.At an emergency SADC summit meeting on Zimbabwe held in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, last week, SADC leaders chose South African President Thabo Mbeki to mediate between the government of Zimbabwe and the opposition parties.