Zimbabwe`s President Mugabe said the nation will be poor for centuries if Zimbabwean were to repeat the mistake of letting foreigners own the country’s natural resources,.
Mugabe celebrated his birthday at a party organised for him by staff at State House on Saturday.
On Sunday Mugabe was at Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera where thousands attended.
“Never ever ever again shall we make the mistake of allowing our resources, natural resources, to be owned by foreigners,” he said.
“You will remain poor for centuries. Huge American companies come, even if you have oil, because they have the machinery, capital (and) they will say the oil is theirs.
“They say we will give you 12 percent because these machines cost a lot of money. To hell with those machines! They are not more valuable than the oil that lies underground.
“The diamonds you take away are not created in a day, but your machines can be repaired when they break down. Let us not be hoodwinked by huge caterpillars. Unonzwa vamwe vachiti vakachera ndezvavo. Zvavo zvipi?
“It’s just an elaborate way of digging. Don’t be deceived, makuhwa, zvekunzi hee you are not going to have investment. Amanga.”
Mugabe criticized foreigners who claim ownership of resources that belong to a country that is said to be independent.
“We just don’t want political freedom, we want economic freedom as well. Kwete kuti maFrench vanozosara vachiti Gabon, yes, you have political freedom but oil iri underground belongs to us.
“The oil belongs to France, which is underground? What do you have then as a country? Now that’s a struggle that must be waged.”
President Mugabe called on Africans not look down upon themselves when they engage a Western world that believes might is always right.
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