Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe wound up his governing party’s annual conference on Saturday threatening to nationalise oil distribution firms, many of them foreign, to end a crippling fuel shortage in the country.
He said his government had been ”foolish” for too long by importing fuel and giving it to the distribution firms to sell and make profits while the government gets nothing out of the exercise.
”The government can acquire these (distribution) points and compensate them… and distribute the fuel,” he said.
”There has to be quick action to assure the holiday spirit is not spoiled,” he told the closing session of the two-day annual conference of his Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF).
”I am going into this matter in a more serious way,” Mugabe said.
Zimbabwe is facing an acute fuel shortage and pumps ran dry this week amid allegations that officials at the corruption-ridden state oil-procuring firm want to cancel a fuel supply deal made two years ago between Mugabe and his Libyan allies.
Mugabe also used the speech to attack the country’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
”MDC is now the chaff, they are the chaff, the chaff in our midst, look at their actions,” he said.
”They are on their way out, whatever (British Prime Minister Tony) Blair says about it, or does about it, it’s out and out and out,” Mugabe said, referring to the British government which he says bankrolls the MDC.
”But don’t forget that when there are dying horses like that, they may just have a fatal kick, used to killing as they are. They are planning killings and killings.” – Sapa-AFP