Mugabe launches scathing attack on his opponents

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe on Saturday launched a scathing attack on his opponents, telling them to "find their own hill for sell-outs" as they were not fit to be buried at the Heroes' Acre.

Mugabe's outburst came a few days after he was booed by opposition MDC-T legislators during his State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Tuesday.

Mugabe took the war back to his opponents at the burial of Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Andrew Mutema, saying that those who did not fight in the liberation struggle would never be recognised as heroes.

Mugabe praised the late judge's role in the liberation history before taking a dig at MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

"History also has records of many of weak hearts and fragile minds who ran away during the outward journey to Mozambique and Zambia or deserted when the going got tough on the war front, or equally worse, sold out to the enemy," he said.

"The likes of [opposition MDC-T leader Morgan] Tsvangirai were among those who bulked, they ran away; fell by the way-side.

"These are the people making vain attempts to be pseudo democratic leaders and liberators of this country.

"Shame on them! before they do what the likes of Mutema did, they can forget it, they never can be heroes of this country."

The Zanu-PF leader then told Tsvangirai and "his ilk" to find "your own shrine".

"It is allowed. Find your own hill and bury your people there - the sell-outs; then we can identify that shrine as the burial ground for sell-outs," he charged.

"We have them, some continue to sell out and beware of NGOs [non-governmental organisations] as well."

MDC-T and other Zanu PF opponents have in the past questioned the criteria used to select national heroes.