Mugabe attacks Tsvangirai, Western powers

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has accused Western powers of exploiting the cholera outbreak to try to force his departure and effect regime change in the country and blamed the opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader for spending time in the West rather than focussing on the power-sharing talks in the country.

Speaking at the National Heroes Acre at the burial of Zanu PF political Commissar and Minister Without Portfolio, Elliot Manyika on Thursday, President Mugabe Western governments had been plotting to use the outbreak of the disease as an excuse to try and intervene and oust him from power.

Manyika died in a car accident on Sunday and was declared a National Hero.

He said the cholera outbreak in the country had been “arrested” and there were no more excuses for British PM, Gordon Brown and French President, Nicholas Sarkozy to call for his ouster.

"I am happy to say our doctors are being assisted by others and the WHO [World Health Organization] and they have now arrested cholera," said President Mugabe.

"We are not a threat to international peace, not a threat to our region . . . Because of cholera Mr Brown wants military intervention, Sarkozy wants military intervention, Bush wants military intervention because of cholera.

"We need doctors, if there is cholera, we do not need soldiers from outside, we have enough of our own. So Mr Brown your thinking must undergo some medical correction," he added.

Mugabe dismissed Brown’s call for intervention in Zimbabwe and his ouster because of the cholera epidemic. He said it was a pretext for regime change in Zimbabwe.

"Shall we also say that [because] there is mad cow disease, there must be war, Britain must be invaded? Mr Brown, your head must go for some medical correction.”

He described Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, and George W. Bush, the US president, as "crooks" who were "guilty of deliberate lies in order to commit acts of aggression".

"We are a tiny country, a demographically small nation, yet we find ourselves on white lips that do not bear our colour or language, lips of governments and regimes with a cruel history of colonial occupation and oppression, of impression, dominance and blatant dehumanisation of our people. These lips do speak against Sadc and Africa. They are greedy, voracious and aggressive."

Mugabe described former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair and George Bush as the worst combination of leaders the world has ever witnessed. He accused them of lying about the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in order to invade the country and exploit its oil and other resources.

He said Britain and the West should be more honest about their intentions in Zimbabwe.

"Let us, however, remember that we are not dealing with honest people. They want to find excuses for recolonising us. Why don’t they just say you Zimbabweans are sitting on rich resources. You can’t have those without us; we want to share with you. Whether you like it or not we also want to come. That would be much more honest."

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A poster reads "Brown's cholera" -- the Government of Zimbabwe blames sanctions imposed by the West for the problems face in the country and says the outbreak of cholera was a result of deliberate illegal sanctions by the West.

‘TSVANGIRAI IS A PROSTITUTE’

President Mugabe criticized opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai for not focussing on reaching a solution in Zimbabwe and traveling to Europe to seek Western support.

"We don't like it. We don't want that prostitution in politics. Let's settle things here."

"Today you are in Senegal, tomorrow you are in that country. Ndochii ichocho? (What is that?) Huhure ihwohwo! (That's prostitution!).”

President Mugabe also indicated that his party was prepared to go to fresh elections if that was what Zimbabweans wanted, but those elections will not be dictated by the West.

"We can go to an election if elections are desirable. The people are the deciders, and we will never reject their verdict. We have always accepted their verdict."

He reiterated that Zimbabwe is an independent country belonging to Zimbabweans who should teach the British this lesson.

The MDC leader indicated last night in an interview with the BBC that he will only return home if he was granted a passport. He has been travelling on an Emergency Travel Document since his passport ran out of pages last year.

Tsvangirai said: "I am working towards getting my passport. When I get it (I will return home)," Tsvangirai told the BBC on Wednesday.

He has not returned to Zimbabwe since travelling to South Africa for a November 9 regional summit which recommended that he joins President Robert Mugabe in a unity government.