Mugabe a 'village dog' says Roy Bennett

EXILED MDC-T treasurer general, Roy Bennett, has launched a rambling attack on President Robert Mugabe, describing the 88 year-old Zanu-PF leader as an "illegitimate and diseased village dog".

Bennet accused his MDC-T party of giving legitimacy to Zanu-PF and claimed that Mugabe wanted another power-sharing arrangement after the next elections to ensure that his party remains in charge.

"Zanu-PF continues holding on to power using the military junta and controlling absolutely everything, and the MDC is giving them the playing field to continue looting and to continue moving diamond revenue outside the country," Bennett told VOA News.

"We did not begin the struggle to stroke the hand that kills. No more GNU - a miserable and malnourished mongrel fathered by an illegitimate and diseased village dog. Zanu-PF, get out of our way. Let's finish it now."

Proded by reporter, Violet Gonda, on who the "diseased village dog" was, Bennett said: "Obviously Mugabe is the dog.

"He is the dog that destroyed Zimbabwe; he is the dog that continues to hold onto power and kill people and direct, instruct and prop up a junta that unleashes violence on the people of Zimbabwe; and to terrorise his own people in a country that is supposed to be a free country that has come out of a liberation struggle."

Bennett's remarks are in sharp contrast to the effusive praise heaped on Mugabe by Finance Minister and MDC-T Secretary General Tendai Biti in a recent interview with the Sunday Mail.

"What I want to also appreciate about the man is his capacity to listen, counsel, most importantly, his unflappability. It is very important for a leader to listen to both sides (of a story) and not to (easily) get angry," Biti reportedly said.

"We find counsel and wisdom in him. His importance in this country will be seen once he's gone. When he's gone that is when you will see that this man was Zimbabwe.

"Some of us who came from different parties have had to learn a lot from the man. He is a fountain of experience, fountain of knowledge and, most importantly, a fountain of stability.

"There are a lot of horrible things that would have happened in this country if he had not said 'No'. History will prove the correctness of this statement. He has been the number one symbol of stability."

But Bennett claimed the Sunday Mail had told "absolute lies" adding "its just propaganda from Zanu-PF". Biti has however, not disowned the remarks.

Bennett also said the coalition government had outlived its usefulness, insisting that although the administration had managed to stabilise the country's economy, most ordinary people were still struggling to survive.

"It's fine to have the U.S. dollars and shops full of food, but the people on the ground don't have the money to buy the stuff and when the people on the ground are battling," he said.
"So we need to bring absolute and complete change and empower the people."