Africa Riled for Forgetting Nyerere

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Bernard K. Membe (MP) exchanging views with other Ministers including the Namibian Foreign Minister, Hon. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (second right) during the  Southern African Development Community (SADC) conference held in Zimbabwe of recent. 

Africa Riled for Forgetting Nyerere

The new generation of African leaders has been criticized for overlooking the contribution of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere,and other founding fathers, to the liberation of the continent.

The new Chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), President Robert Mugabe, told the 34th Summit of the organization, that the region and Africa owed their success to  Mwalimu.

Speaking after taking over the chairmanship from President Arthur Mutharika of Malawi, Mr. Mugabe, whose liberation movement was hosted in Tanzania, lamented that little had been done to honour Mwalimu.

"They have done something for(Kwame) Nkrumah  and (Nelson) Mandela at the AU, but there is nothing for Mwalimu. No symbol," lamented President Mugabe, adding that it was Mwalimu Nyerere who bore the burden of African liberation.

"We must do something (for Mwalimu). Zimbabwe will do something," he promised.

The SADC Chairman also riled at the West for looking the other way as the Israel army massacred innocent civilians in Gaza "in the guise of fighting terrorists.

"Is Israel so precious that it can't be stopped? It is criminal for the world to keep quiet over such crime against humanity," he said.

He also called on the European Union and USA to lift economic sanctions against Zimbabwe after popular elections in his country. He said the sanctions had adverse effect on Zimbabwe's economy.

The two-day ordinary summit ends in Victoria Falls today. It was attended by President Jakaya Kikwete and the Heads of State and Government of South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles. Angola, Botswana and Zambia were  represented by Vice-Presidents while the kingdom of Swaziland was represented by Prime Minister.

The Tanzanian delegation included the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Bernard Membe, the Minister for Industry and Trade, Hon. Abdallah Kigoda and the Zanzibar Minister of state in the President's Office, Hon. Harun Ali Suleiman.

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