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Mugabe tells of 'joy in heart'
08 Apr 2016 at 06:54hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe yesterday told of his joy at the chance to meet thousands of independence war veterans and hear their present struggles, while also sharing ideas on issues affecting the ruling Zanu-PF party.
"There's a joy that runs through your mind and goes, but there's a joy that gets into your mind and gets into your heart and settles there. It's the joy that I have that we've met and had these discussions," Mugabe said at the end of a frank exchange with 10,000 former freedom fighters at the City Sports Centre in Harare.
In a wide-ranging speech after the former freedom fighters presented a myriad of grievances, President Mugabe invited them to form mining companies, assured the landless that they would get land and committed his government to settling outstanding school fees for the war heroes' children, starting next week.
Mugabe paid tribute to the fallen heroes who lost their lives fighting to liberate the country from colonial bondage, and those that suffered various degrees of injuries during the war.
"You're the brave ones, I say well done to you. Thank God you're still alive," the Zanu-PF leader said, to cheers.
""I'm sorry we've not had this opportunity before, nor have we had the facilities with which to thank you sufficiently but as I said, we've tried now to have a ministerial facility which can on a regular basis tell us what should be done and done quickly and we shall try to the best of our ability to do those things that should be done in order for the rest of our lives to be a little happier than they've been.
"Just a little happier because maximum happiness isn't yet possible before we create resources but we'll try our best, all of us, as you see us, we'll be working together, even those in Defence, those in the public service and in the private sector. When we say do this, do it for us, especially in Finance [ministry], when we say we want this money, please provide if it's there. There's never been a period when there's been no money, but it's a question of priority, we say the conditions of the war veterans is a priority.
"There's a joy that runs through your mind and goes, but there's a joy that gets into your mind and gets into your heart and settles there. It's the joy that I have that we've met and had these discussions," Mugabe said at the end of a frank exchange with 10,000 former freedom fighters at the City Sports Centre in Harare.
In a wide-ranging speech after the former freedom fighters presented a myriad of grievances, President Mugabe invited them to form mining companies, assured the landless that they would get land and committed his government to settling outstanding school fees for the war heroes' children, starting next week.
Mugabe paid tribute to the fallen heroes who lost their lives fighting to liberate the country from colonial bondage, and those that suffered various degrees of injuries during the war.
"You're the brave ones, I say well done to you. Thank God you're still alive," the Zanu-PF leader said, to cheers.
""I'm sorry we've not had this opportunity before, nor have we had the facilities with which to thank you sufficiently but as I said, we've tried now to have a ministerial facility which can on a regular basis tell us what should be done and done quickly and we shall try to the best of our ability to do those things that should be done in order for the rest of our lives to be a little happier than they've been.
"Just a little happier because maximum happiness isn't yet possible before we create resources but we'll try our best, all of us, as you see us, we'll be working together, even those in Defence, those in the public service and in the private sector. When we say do this, do it for us, especially in Finance [ministry], when we say we want this money, please provide if it's there. There's never been a period when there's been no money, but it's a question of priority, we say the conditions of the war veterans is a priority.
Source - chronicle
