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Lovemore Mataire Harare Bureau—
VISITING Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita yesterday almost had an emotional breakdown as he recounted his impressions of Zimbabwe and President Mugabe’s exemplary leadership. Speaking to journalists soon after touring the Heroes’ Acre, President Keita said people buried at the National Shrine deserved respect for their selfless sacrifice to the wellbeing of the country.

He paid tribute to the late Father Zimbabwe, Joshua Nkomo, and President Mugabe, praising them for forming the Patriotic Front that averted a potential civil war in the country.

“I couldn’t come to Zimbabwe without coming here to pay tribute to the memories of those who lost their lives in the liberation of this country… Nkomo’s intelligence and that of President Mugabe have given the chance for this country to avoid a civil war. So a tribute to him (Nkomo) was well deserved,” said President Keita.

President Keita is on a three-day State visit to Zimbabwe.

He was overcome with emotion as he recounted how President Mugabe has remained steadfast in the face of vilification by detractors. He said it was difficult for him to talk about a country that he deeply loved.

“It’s difficult to talk about a country you love. I’m not a young man. I know African history and I know who’s genuine and who’s an impostor. President Mugabe is a true African,” said President Keita.

Accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Mumbengegwi, President Keita was taken on a tour of the shrine by resident curator, Rumbidzai Bvira, who chronicled the history of Zimbabwe from colonialism to independence as depicted on the two murals standing on the sides of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

He was shown the tomb of the first chairman of Zanu-PF’s Dare ReChimurenga, Cde Herbert Hamandishe Chitepo, and other liberation icons like Father Zimbabwe, Cde George Silundika and Senator Chief Rekayi Tangwena.

President Keita also toured Gushungo Diary project in Mazowe, which is owned by President Mugabe and First Lady Cde Grace Mugabe.

Giving land to the people is one of the ways African countries can gain full economic independence, Keita said.

He said he had been astonished by one of the success stories of the Zimbabwe land reform programme, contrary to falsehoods peddled by the Western media.

He toured the dairy farm in the company of President Mugabe. “Bravo, I’m just amazed,” President Keita told journalists.

“That’s what all of us should try to do. This is the way things have to be done if we want to be clearly, really independent economically. I’m amazed to have met here with engineers, technicians and staff doing a good job, a difficult and complex one.”

President Keita expressed gratitude to President Mugabe for affording him an opportunity to witness a good specimen of the land reform programme.

“This is a very good example for me and I would like to thank warmly my brother Cde Mugabe for giving me an opportunity to visit this beautiful country and see what is going on now in Zimbabwe.”

Western countries, through their hostile media, have tried in vain to demonise the Zimbabwean land reform programme that saw more than 300,000 families resettled.

Western countries imposed a cocktail of sanctions on Zimbabwe which have cost the country more than $42 billion in lost revenue since 2001.

President Mugabe said the three-day State visit by the Malian President would cement “our brotherhood.”

“It’s been real total pleasure and delight to see President Keita here for the first time — a son of Africa coming to see another son of Africa — bringing a team of Africans, his dear Lady (Aminata Maiga Keita). Unfortunately our (First) Lady is away but that’s how it should be to cement our brotherhood. It’s not just friendship in Africa, it’s brotherhood, brothers and sisters.”

President Mugabe said going forward, Zimbabwe and Mali should forge joint ventures in different spheres.

“From this solidarity, we’ll move ahead and see what other areas we can develop together, cooperation, training of our people and interacting at a people’s level so that our people feel and practise the brotherhood,” he said.

“My only sad feeling is that it’s only three days, not 10 days. We should have our ministers, technicians and students also visiting each other and sharing knowledge and we’ll do this ourselves, black skin to black skin and no white man.”

The Malian delegation is expected to leave the country today.

Affectionately known as IBK in Mali, President Keita served as prime minister from 1994 to 2000 before heading the country’s National Assembly for five years after assuming the role in 2002.

He founded the Rally for Mali (RPM) in 2001 and was elected president in the July–August 2013 presidential election. He was sworn in on September 4, 2013.