Mugabe wants to seize all white-owned mines
By Online Team
10th Dec 2012:
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has said he wants native blacks to have full control of foreign-owned mining firms operating in the country. The 88-year-old leader was speaking while officially opening the conference of his ZANU-PF party.
Mugabe also said he would call for elections next year regardless of whether there is a new constitution or not, as required by regional leaders. ZANU-PF supporters showed their joy as their leader, Mugabe, arrived Friday in Gweru, about 300 kilometers southwest of Harare.
The conference is being held ahead of next year’s elections, which may explain why the president already seemed to be in the electioneering mood. He said the country has benefited from his policy of giving black Zimbabweans a 51 percent stake in all foreign-owned companies, but said that was not enough.
In an apparent reference to the shareholding in the country’s mining industry, Mugabe said, “…I have told the ministry of mining that I think now we have done enough of 51-49. Let it be 100 percent. Then we do not send anything out. We do not send out that 49 percent.”
Mugabe’s “indigenization” policy has split Zimbabwe’s coalition government, with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party saying it scares away investors.
The president said that was the least of his concerns, though, as long as Zimbabweans were in charge of their resources. “…Let us be our own master, our own true developer of our resources,” he said.
He asserted that African leaders in oil-rich countries that allowed Western companies to explore for the “black gold” were irresponsible and must step down. END: Login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories mid-week for our updates
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