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Political Editor

AS Zimbabwe readies for this year’s harmonised elections, President Mnangagwa has called on all Zimbabweans to be ready to defend the country’s sovereignty and consign puppets of Western nations to dustbins of history.

In his speech yesterday while commissioning the Fontaine Ridge Housing Project in Harare during a ceremony that was attended by scores of Zanu PF supporters, President Mnangagwa said urbanites have been receiving a raw deal from opposition-led councils and the elections offer them with an opportunity to correct that by voting for Zanu PF.

“This is an election year, and we must all be ready, what must you be ready for, you must be ready to defend our heritage, our Independence and sovereignty. It is only the black person who can safeguard his or her sovereignty, you can never outsource that.

“Every five years, we go for elections, and voting is simple, just put an X on Zanu PF, it is not difficult to vote. The liberation struggle was won and now we must defend our country’s sovereignty through voting for the party of the people,” he said.

The President said the land reform programme is irreversible and no amount of arm-twisting from erstwhile colonisers through illegal sanctions can reverse that.

He slammed the hypocrisy of some Western nations that cry foul when countries like Zimbabwe are carrying out their own revolutions that restore the indigenous person’s dignity and access to land and his God-given resources.

“They sanctioned us, but what we should always be mindful of is each and every country has its own people who develop it, the British built Britain, the Americans developed America, and the Japanese also built their own country. Every race should be master of its destiny, so let us build our own country,” President Mnangagwa said.The President, whose speech drew ripples of laughter, said Zimbabwe has everything that it needs and therefore cannot look outside for its development.

“We must develop ourselves, our country on the basis of resources that are found in our country. Those who want to assist us can come and assist us on the projects that we have started,” he said.

Turning to the affairs of Harare City Council, which has turned the once sunshine city into a drab and dirty urban zone, the President said the time has come to restore sanity in urban areas.

“Our Government does not want land barons, (Zanu PF Harare Provincial Chairman Godwills) Masimirembwa make sure there are no land barons in the party.

“Local authorities have been under the opposition for the past 15 years, but they have failed urban dwellers. Roads are pothole infested, there is no piped water but they are busy collecting rates, this time there will be gnashing of teeth,” he said.

President Mnangagwa added that gone are the days when foreigners were contracted to build dams and other infrastructure projects with those works now being undertaken by Zimbabweans as was exemplified yesterday by FBC, a local bank that has built modern infrastructure.

He said projects like the one commissioned yesterday are indicative of the enabling environment that has been created by the Second Republic for business to thrive.

After listening to the President’s speech, Mr Denzel Muparati from Kuwadzana said he is a registered voter who is ready to defend the country through the ballot.

“We are ready for the elections and will make sure that Zanu PF wins the elections. I urge all unregistered people to do  so and defend the revolution”.

Another Harare resident Ms Sally Marongwe said young people are inspired by the works of the President.

“He is a man of the people who is transforming Zimbabwe, roads are being built, dams, and jobs are being created, I cannot wait to give the President another term,” she said.