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Western countries can go to hell - MDC-T
28 Jul 2016 at 02:23hrs | Views
A senior MDC-T member and former Mines deputy minister Gift Chaminikire has broken rank with his party by saying Western countries should stop meddling in Zimbabwe's internal affairs.
Chimanikire said the West interference was worrying, he told parliament on Tuesday saying Zimbabwe should withdrew from some protocols that it has signed that did not benefit the country such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
"We agree not to export our own rhino horns and elephant tusks.
"We are very foolish. Sorry to say Mr Speaker. They do not have elephants in London, America and China. They are here but we are paralysed and we cannot even sell what we have.
"We have to burn what we have simply because we want to satisfy those colonial powers. Are we forgetting that they are imperialists? What is wrong with us? That is why in my presentation, time and again I said we must be mad."
"We should withdraw from CITES and start selling our ivory. Can we be labelled a poor country when we have in excess of 8 000 elephants in the Hwange Game Reserve? We are sitting and selling four of them to China. When we do that, there are news headlines to say why you are selling four young elephants to China. Who are they to tell us that?
"That is why at some stage, I once said the Americans can go to hell when it comes to selling our diamonds," said Chimanikire.
Yesterday, Water and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said the country wad siting on $9 billion worth of ivory.
She said SADC was determined to lobby for the ban imposed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to be lifted so that the region could unlock value from its natural resources.
"We have 96 tonnes of ivory and if we sell it, we will realise about $9,1 billion,".
Chimanikire said the West interference was worrying, he told parliament on Tuesday saying Zimbabwe should withdrew from some protocols that it has signed that did not benefit the country such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
"We agree not to export our own rhino horns and elephant tusks.
"We are very foolish. Sorry to say Mr Speaker. They do not have elephants in London, America and China. They are here but we are paralysed and we cannot even sell what we have.
"We have to burn what we have simply because we want to satisfy those colonial powers. Are we forgetting that they are imperialists? What is wrong with us? That is why in my presentation, time and again I said we must be mad."
"That is why at some stage, I once said the Americans can go to hell when it comes to selling our diamonds," said Chimanikire.
Yesterday, Water and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said the country wad siting on $9 billion worth of ivory.
She said SADC was determined to lobby for the ban imposed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to be lifted so that the region could unlock value from its natural resources.
"We have 96 tonnes of ivory and if we sell it, we will realise about $9,1 billion,".
Source - Byo24News
