Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe on Saturday marked his 91st birthday with lavish celebrations at Victoria Falls, defying Western criticism of his policies by vowing to expel the country’s last remaining white farmers from their land.
“We don’t need a white man to continue to guide us. No. We are now equipped with skills,” Mugabe told thousands of guests at a luxury safari lodge.
Songs in his honour, and poems recited by children, were part of the tribute to Zimbabwe’s leader of the past 35 years, who has faced criticism in the West for repression of the opposition, corruption and for redistributing thousands of white-owned farms to inexperienced black farmers.
Critics say the redistribution sparked food shortages and contributed to a massive inflation.
In a speech deviating from its original script and lasting more than an hour, Mugabe said he was “shocked” to discover that 163 farms were still owned by whites…
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