President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and First Lady Grace, greeting a rally of the ruling party ZANU-PF. Mugabe will stand for reelection on March 29, 2008.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
By Sydney Kawadza
Zimbabwe Herald
FORMER commercial farmers can appeal to any court — regional or international — but they will never reverse land reform, President Mugabe said yesterday.
Addressing hundreds of mourners at the burial of liberation war hero Cde Reward Marufu, the President said efforts by some white farmers to use the improperly constituted Sadc Tribunal would not yield any results as long as Zimbabweans remained united in defence of the country’s sovereignty and hard earned independence.
Cde Marufu, who was First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe’s brother, was yesterday buried at Madondo Village in Chivhu with full military honours.
President Mugabe urged Zimba-bweans to be united in defence of the country’s heritage and natural resources.
"Pakati pedu tosungirwa kuti tive vanhu vasina bopoto. Nekuti vamwe vanoti kwete, varungu ngavarambe varimuno, vakabata. Kwete isu tinoti kana vanoda kugara muno, vanoda zvemabizinesi ngavauye, varipo kare ngavagare asi vazive kuti zvinhu zva- chinja. Ivhu rava redu.
"Kana takupawo kuti apa rima ndopatakupawo. Kwete kunyunyuta! Wakumhanya zvino kuti ndazowana tribunal iye yekuNamibia, ndokwataku-mhanyira. Tribunal yaani?
"Inono mhan’arira Zimbabwe. Ine nyika yayo. Inova nyika isiri yayo, isineyi zvayo nedzimwe nyika. Waakuda kutora nyaya kuisako. Dziri nyaya dzeyi? Dzevhu. Dziri nyaya dzekuti imi nezuro makurira vatema muno. Matora ivhu, mapamba nyika. Magovana ivhu. Vatema vazozivavo, vakukukurirai, vatora nyika yavo. Yava mumaoko avo.
Makuvapa mhosva yekuti mazotorerei nyika yatanga takutorererayi. Makunotimhan’arira uko. Mhan’arai tione kuti zvinoshanda here!"
He said: "They can go to any part of the world asi hazvishande nekuti nyika ndeyedu. Saka isu ngatirambe takabatana muno munyika!"
President Mugabe urged traditional leaders to ensure that the gains of the liberation struggle were safeguarded.
He warned some farmers against being used by former commercial farmers as they risked losing the land to the State.
"Kana usingakwanise kuririma dzo- rera kwatiri tiripe vanokwanisa kuri- rima. Nekuti chokwadi tikazviziva kuti ndizvo zvauri kuita chokwadi tinoritora. Hatidi vanozochema zvakare kuti hurumende yavakutitorera ivhu nekuti kana ivhu riri mumaoko evanhu vanoda kuri- dzorera kuvarungu. Riri mumaoko evanhu vasati vabva mupfungwa yekuti vana bhasi.
"Isu tiri kuti iwe ndiwe wava bhasi. Kohubhasi hahuhudewo? Unongoda ganda jena chete? Nenzeve ndefu chete? Kwete!"
President Mugabe said Cde Marufu belonged to a rare crop of freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the country.
He said Zimbabweans should work hard to defend the gains of the liberation struggle in honour of people like Cde Marufu, who suffered from the effect of the war.
National Security Minister Sydney Sekeramayi hailed Cde Marufu for being an "intelligence officer par excellence".
"The field of intelligence was his forte and indeed he made his mark in this discipline.
"In the world of intelligence, one never retires, hence, although he was said to have retired, he remained one of us. That is why today we are overwhelmed by this great loss."
Chief Musarurwa, who was representing the area’s traditional leadership, expressed his gratitude for the respect accorded to one of their sons.
"If only we could learn from people like Cde Marufu, being unwavering and straight, we would succeed as a country."
He hailed Cde Marufu as a humble but principled man who worked for the independence of the country and its development.
Cde Marufu (54) died on Wednesday last week at Leopards’ Vlei Farm near Bindura after battling with hypertension for some years.
He is survived by his wife Debra and five children.
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