WINDHOEK – Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) spokesperson Job Amupanda has described Zimbabwe as Africa’s bravest state, something he said was due to the fearlessness of that country’s president Robert Mugabe.
Speaking at a ZANU-PF conference in Zimbabwe over the weekend, Amupanda said Mugabe is the only African leader who has successfully managed to deal with forces of neo-colonialism, ensuring Zimbabweans have total control of their resources in the process, reports The Herald newspaper.
In their solidarity messages, delegates from sister liberation movements attending the 6th ZANU-PF Youth League conference yesterday said President Mugabe’s assumption of the SADC and African Union chairmanship this month and next year would advance resource nationalism on the continent.
The delegates also demanded the unconditional lifting of the West’s illegal sanctions regime.
Amupanda described President Mugabe as “brave” and an inspiration to the continent.
“We have come here to proclaim to you that Zimbabwe under the leadership of Cde Mugabe is the bravest on the African continent,” Amupanda was quoted as saying.
“We come here to proclaim to youths that we are inspired by the fact that Zimbabwe is the only SADC country that fully owns its country and economy. We are proud that it is the only country that has successfully managed to deal with the forces of neo-colonialism.”
Amupanda commended Zimbabwe for embarking on the land reform programme and for its successes in education, The Herald further reports.
“Economies in Africa, the SADC region in particular, have been built by Zimbabweans,” he said.
“They can say whatever they want, but go to any African country, university, you will always find Zimbabwean professors, scientists and doctors.”
“When ZANU-PF overwhelmingly won the last election, we condemned the reactionary Morgan Tsvangirai as a puppet of the West. We have seen condemnation on (sic) the Swapo Party but we are saying it again in Zimbabwe that he is a puppet and should be treated as such.”
Mugabe, who delivered a keynote address at the youth league’s conference in Harare, was reported to have been impressed by Amupanda’s positive stance on Zimbabwe. The two men appeared in photos hugging each other.
During his address on Saturday, Mugabe yesterday slammed some ZANU-PF leaders for concentrating on factionalism and holding clandestine meetings to the negation of party business.
The ZANU-PF Youth League endorsed Mugabe’s wife, Grace, as its candidate for the position of secretary for the party’s women’s league.
By Staff Reporter