Mugabe finally accepts defeat

                       Peter Chikondi

                                                    Breaking News!   19/04/2008 14:12

In a surprise turnaround, Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe on Friday finally admitted defeat in the past harmonised combined elections.

In a clear admission of defeat Mugabe told an independence celebrations gathering at Gwanzura stadium in Harare that he would not allow the opposition to lead the country and showed anger that people voted for the opposition.

  Mr Mugabe said opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) were sell outs who would never be allowed to rule Zimbabwe although Tsvangirai and the MDC won the March 29 harmonized elections.

  “There will never ever be change in Zimbabwe. We shall never reverse the gains of the liberation struggle. Zimbabwe will never be a colony again,” said Mugabe.

  Mugabe castigated the electorate for voting for the MDC saying that they were being “bought and corrupted by the British” whom he alleged that were splashing money to pervert the electorate.

  Digressing from his prepared speech which he rarely read from, Mugabe revealed that war guerrillas had taken up arms to fight against the leadership of the opposition despite having clearly won the elections. Violence has erupted around the country and the opposition and human rights groups have said that the coordinated attacks on the opposition are being led by the military and the former war veterans. He bitterly attacked Britain for commenting on the human rights situation in Zimbabwe saying the British should not lecture Zimbabwe about democracy because ZANU PF had brought democracy in Zimbabwe.

Mr Mugabe also said that there will never be change in Zimbabwe in a clear sign that the ruling elite were not willing to respect the outcome of any elections that go against them.