10 December 2005 Blog Home : December 2005 : Permalink
ESIGODINI, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's ruling party wraps up its annual congress on Saturday secure in its political domination, but facing the daunting task of pulling the economy out of crisis and overcoming factionalism.
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Mugabe has blamed Zimbabwe's problems on sabotage by opponents of his drive to redistribute white-owned farms among blacks. But he conceded some party officials were involved in corrupt activities such as black market trade in scant foreign currency.
Others had seized more than one farm for themselves in abuse of the land reforms, which critics blame for food shortages which have plagued Africa's former breadbasket over the last five years.
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Britain still wanted control of Zimbabwe to exploit its vast mineral and agricultural wealth, Mugabe told delegates, charging: "They would want Zimbabwe therefore to subject itself to their will so they can manipulate the government here so they can have a grip on our economy."
Mugabe accused U.N. humanitarian affairs and relief coordinator Jan Egeland of misrepresenting Zimbabwe this week after a four-day tour to assess the impact of a government crackdown on urban slums.
Calling Egeland was a "hypocrite and a liar", Mugabe said on Friday he would ask U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to no longer send to Zimbabwe envoys "who are not his own but agents of the British, because we don't trust men from his office any more."
Now I understand that Reuters is indeed just parroting Comrade Bob's speech, but you might think that a little original reporting would help give a certain amount of balance to the piece. Maybe find an opposition party spokesman who might be willing to point out errors? perhaps a quote from a human rights NGO? that sort of thing. The fact that a mere day or two earlier Reuters had reports about Egeland's trip, which were somewhat less flattering (but still showing a remarkable lack of finger pointing) would seem to me to indicate that Reuters actually knows that Comrade Bob is a lying hypocritical tyrant, but still Reuters seems happy to report his rantings with a straight face, while somehow not managing to do the same thing with the US regime and/or Iraq.