Mugabe defiant on independence day

Mugabe defiant on independence day

By Alastair Leithead BBC correspondent in Johannesburg

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has again blamed the crisis in his country on Britain and its allies in an address marking Independence Day.

He said land reform was now complete, despite obstructions.

And he made a thinly-veiled threat to the opposition that he would not tolerate further action against the government.

President Mugabe was speaking at a rally in Harare marking 23 years of independence.

Mugabe remains defiant in the face of domestic and foreign pressure

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change has threatened a campaign of mass action against the government, but there are no protests planned for independence day.

They are billed as independence day celebrations, but few people in Zimbabwe have much to celebrate.

Half the population is hungry. The economy has collapsed and there is nothing in the shops.

The price of petrol - if you can find any - went up by 200% this week, and the MDC is facing increasing intimidation.

The opposition promises more peaceful mass action like the recent general strike that brought the cities to a standstill, and tensions remain high.

The United States has stepped up calls for President Mugabe to go, but his national day address was full of forceful rhetoric, defending his rule and giving a stern warning to any opponents.