President Robert Mugabe is accusing ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe of responding “stupidly” when he called on the Zimbabwean president to stop attacking Nelson Mandela’s legacy. On two recent occasions, Mugabe criticised the conciliatory manner in which the late former president dealt with the apartheid government.
Mantashe has since lodged a formal complaint with Zanu-PF on the matter. Mugabe says he is at liberty to share his opinion on Mandela, because as he put it, “Zimbabwe and South Africa were in the trenches together”.
Meanwhile, the ANC has appealed to President Mugabe to stop making the negative comments about former President Mandela.
Mugabe says Mandela preferred his personal freedom over the economic freedom of black South Africans. He also blames Mandela for the fact that whites still control large sections of the economy.
The ANC says it has been in contact with Zanu-PF over Mugabe’s utterances. Mantashe says the comments are baseless: “The reality of the matter is that you have destroyed the economy in your country, we continue to create black millionaires in this country including Zimbabwean millionaires.”
Thursday 7 September 2017 14:29
Sophie Mokoena
