Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe on Thursday called on his country’s citizens to ”celebrate” the return of their land at the start of a three-day ruling party conference.
Addressing members of his ruling party’s central committee in the small southern Zimbabwe town of Esigodini, Mugabe said the country needed to boost harvests.
”Now our people can celebrate the final return of their land,” Mugabe said.
”Our collective challenge is to give impetus and support to the economic turnaround effort by making sure that we should grow and grow in a big way, so our harvests from our fields can be enhanced,” he added.
Agricultural production plummeted after the authorities started seizing white-owned land for redistribution to new black farmers five years ago. Once a regional breadbasket, Zimbabwe will this year have to import 1,8-million tonnes of maize.
Mugabe’s call comes after a UN envoy this week described as ”very serious” Zimbabwe’s growing humanitarian crisis. The country is suffering acute food shortages, high rates of HIV/Aids infections and homelessness.
At least 3 000 Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) supporters are expected to attend the conference in Matabeleland South province, traditionally a stronghold of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
But Mugabe’s party took all five seats there in senate elections last month. The polls were marred by record low voter turnout and a major split in the MDC, which was divided over whether or not to participate.
The theme of this year’s conference, which will be officially opened Friday, is ”Consolidating Our National Gains”.
Ruling party officials say the conference will also look at ways of arresting Zimbabwe’s economic decline. The country’s annual rate of inflation is more than 411 per cent, one of the highest in the world.
The ruling party is reported to have spent billions of Zimbabwe dollars refurbishing Umzingwane High School, the main venue of this year’s party conference.
Trenches have been dug, a clinic set up, classrooms painted and a borehole sunk, reports say. Roads in the area have also been upgraded.
The meeting is also set to have its lighter moments. Education Minister Aeneas Chigwedere on Thursday presented ”samples” of a proposed national dress to Thursday’s central committee meeting, state radio said.
”The proposal has come after intense research,” Chigwedere was reported as saying. – Sapa-dpa