The Sunday Mail
Felex Share Senior Reporter
Giving land to the people is one of the ways through which African countries can gain full economic independence, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has said.
Speaking after touring Gushungo Diary in Mazowe yesterday, President Keita said he had been astonished by one of the success stories of Zimbabwe’s land reform programme, contrary to falsehoods peddled by the Western media.
He toured the dairy farm, owned by the First Family, in the company of President Mugabe.
“Bravo, I am just amazed,” President Keita told journalists.
“That is what all of us should try to do. This is the way things have to be done if we want to be clearly, really independent economically, try our people to do all the jobs needed to be independent. I am amazed to have met here with engineers, technicians and staff doing a good job, a difficult and complex one.”
President Keita expressed gratitude to President Mugabe for affording him an opportunity to witness a good specimen of the land reform programme.
“This is a very good example for me and I would like to thank warmly my brother Cde Mugabe for giving me an opportunity to visit this beautiful country and see what is going on now in Zimbabwe.”
Western countries, through their hostile media, have tried in vain to demonise the land reform programme that saw more than 300 000 families resettled.
It is a programme that so angered the West that they imposed a raft of illegal economic sanctions on Zimbabwe that have cost the country more than $42 billion in lost revenue since the turn of the millennium.
President Mugabe said the three-day State visit by the Malian President would cement “our brotherhood.”
“It has been real total pleasure and delight to see President Keita here for the first time—a son of Africa coming to see another son of Africa — bringing a team of Africans, his dear Lady ( Mrs Aminata Maiga Keita). Unfortunately our (First) Lady (Dr Grace Mugabe) is away but that is how it should be to cement our brotherhood. It is not just friendship in Africa, it is brotherhood, brothers and sisters.”
President Mugabe said going forward, Zimbabwe and Mali should forge joint ventures in different spheres.
“From this solidarity, we will move ahead and see what other areas we can develop together, cooperation, training of our people and interacting at a people’s level so that our people feel and practise the brotherhood,” he said.
“My only sad feeling is that it is only three days, not 10 days. We should have our Ministers, technicians and students also visiting each other and sharing knowledge and we will do this ourselves, black skin to black skin and no white man.”
The Malian delegation is expected to leave Zimbabwe today.
Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs Minister Martin Dinha said: “We have one common enemy, which is imperialism, and as such we should see more partnerships between our two countries. As a province, we are happy to be the first one to receive you as you come to see this testimony of the land reform programme.”
Gushungo Diary factory manager, Mr James Mugombi, said they were producing 20 000 litres of milk daily from 1 000 cows.
He said they were now planning to export some of their products.
“We have engaged a number of countries with a view to export and we will work with the embassies to achieve that,” he said. – The Herald Newspaper
