SA must address 'skewed' ownership of resources - Mugabe

NEWS 24

Cape Town – South Africa has failed to take the lead in the industrialisation process of other African countries because its economy is still under white control, Zimbabwean PresidentRobert Mugabe has reportedly said.

Speaking to African diplomats in China where he is on a week-long visit, Mugabe said Africa would be patient with SA so it could address its skewed ownership of resources for the whole continent to benefit, according to a Herald report.

Mugabe, 90, urged Africa to unite against imperialists, adding that it was important for Africans to add value to their natural resources in order for them to realise full benefits from the same.

Mugabe, who is Africa's longest-ruling leader, is in China to secure more investment in his country's ailing economy.

The veteran leader has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980. He drove Zimbabwe's controversial seizure of white-owned land, and implemented a law requiring foreign firms to hand over 51% of their shares to black Zimbabweans.

China's president Xi Jinping on Monday hailed the veteran leader as a renowned African liberation leader and an "old friend" of the Chinese people.