Herald Reporter| PRESIDENT ROBERT Mugabe yesterday said God had charged him to serve Zimbabwe and pledged to carry on the “divine task” without backtracking.
Mugabe made the remark at State House at a party to celebrate his 89th birthday organised by staff from his office.
President Mugabe turns 89 today.
“In my small way, this is the task the Lord might have wanted me to fulfil among my people and as I carry the burden of fulfilling it, it being a divine task, I read it as a bidding of God. A commandment that this is how you serve your nation,” President Mugabe said.
He added: “The bidding says you move forward ever. Do not retrace when you are right. No backward movement when you are right. Your principles must be well defined. If they are those principles meant to enhance your people so they fit on the great neighbourhood, then there is no retreating. Principles become sacred.”
President Mugabe thanked God for reaching 89 years.
“It is He, our Creator, who is responsible for the fact that I am 89, and true when you get to that stage you cannot avoid thinking that yesterday when I was younger we were many. Some have dropped off. Where are they gone?
“The Lord has chosen that they go. The Lord has chosen that I remain. Why is it that all my friends are gone and my relatives are gone and I continue to linger on? It is not my choice. It is His choice. Painful choice. As you move from stage to stage, there is a kind of loneliness and solitude around you because of the loss of friends, loss of relatives and of very dear ones.
“You say to yourself that is life. That is how He who has made us, wants us to sustain life. He destroys here and constructs there. That is it, and we continue to live,” he said.
President Mugabe said God gives people life so that they fulfil objectives and enables them to make the most apt choices.
“And the choice that we make is that we shall live to serve others as indeed we serve ourselves, our nation and our country. The Lord wants us to be Zimbabweans in their own country with right of ownership over our own resources with abilities and capabilities to defend those rights against those who want to encroach on them,” he said.
President Mugabe thanked staff in his office, the security forces, the media and everyone who has been supportive of his leadership.
To staff in his office, he said: “Let us continue to be that united. If you are not united as the engine, we make all kind of disjointed noises and the engine will not be able to pull. We should be able to pull, pull and pull ourselves so that we pull the nation. It is a joy to work with you, to work with people with confidence in you,” he said.
President Mugabe applauded the intelligence and security services for performing “a wonderful work” in exposing activities of the enemy and taking the necessary preventive measures.
Chief Secretary to the Presidency and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda, speaking on behalf of staff in the President’s Office, said they were honoured to be among a few Zimbabweans to work with President Mugabe.
“We continue to draw inspiration from your enduring legacy,” he said.
Staff in the President’s Office showered the Head of State and Government and Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces with gifts.
Reserve Bank Governor Dr Gideon Gono has given President Mugabe 89 cows as gifts to mark his birthday. Dr Gono had pledged to give President Mugabe a beast on each of his brithdays, the President noted.
The celebrations saw distinguished singer Shingisai Suluma serenading the First Family and guests with gospel songs.
Her performance yesterday followed a special request by President Mugabe during celebrations to mark his birthday in Mutare last year that Mai Suluma play him the song Munongondichengeta (nanhasi).
While Mai Suluma remained in Zimbabwe after the Christmas Holidays, his husband and family flew into the country from the US on Tuesday night for the celebrations.
President Mugabe praised Mai Suluma and her band for the highly spiritual songs.
“Shungu yakabuda kwaMutare yekuti vandiimbire rwumbo urworwo rwokuti mwari anondichengeta. Tinotenda nokuti anotichengeta kana paripapi urimwana wake achikuda panotsvedza, panotyisa, pangave pane mhepo inovhuvhuta zvakadii ichitora vamwe inokusiya. Dzimbo dzavo dzakadzama. Matendero haasi okungo pfugama uchiti baba vedu varikudenga tinokutendai. Ivo vanechipo chokuti zvibve zvatapira zvikurukuru,” President Mugabe said.
He said it was a rare calibre of musicians in the mould of Mai Suluma.
“Mazwi avanawo orutendo kunamwari abva apinda mumoyo medu ngatianzwisise. Rudo rwavo ndinorutenda zvikurukuru. Ndinoti kwavari chokwadi mandiitavo kuti ndive mumwe wenyu.
“I want to express my very deep and most sincere gratitude for the message that she has relayed through her well composed songs. Four of them one after another all carrying that spiritual message that it is he our creator who is responsible for the fact that I am 89,” President Mugabe said.
Mai Suluma said she was honoured to be invited to perform at the special occasion.
Meanwhile, President Mugabe had earlier met Bishops of the Inter-Regional Meeting of Catholic Bishops of Southern Africa at State House.
The President briefed the bishops from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Swaziland and South Africa on political developments in Zimbabwe from the 2008 harmonised elections, formation of the inclusive Government and the Constitution-making process.
He told the bishops the political situation in Zimbabwe was calm guaranteeing the holding of peaceful elections this year.
Speaking through Archbishop Liborius Nashenda of Namibia, the bishops commended President Mugabe for taking a stand against political violence.
They said the church was ready to co-operate with other concerned citizens in stopping intimidation of voters.
The bishops noted that the illegal Western sanctions were harmful to Zimbabwe and must be removed.
23 Replies to “Mugabe Thanks God For His Long Life”
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We,as true Africans are proud of you(Mugabe) and we wish you many happy returns.
Let us learn to tolerate and forgive one another to move forward. The strong language we use against each other is uncalled for. Life is too short for squabbles.
He’s talking more about God now, i think he is going thru serious guilty conciousness & fears to face God worse than anyone else. MAIMBOZVIITIREI? GEHENA HARITYI NYEMBE >HELL DOES NOT RESPECT RANKS!!!
God bless him but the fact remains he presided over the destruction of a country that had so much promise and potential. We have become the only nation in the world outside a war zone to have millions displaced and impoverished by corrupt and inept policies. If the guy has a conscience at all he would have stepped down way back. He really needs God now more than ever for he has to answer for the millions of Gods children that lost their lives because of his greed for power.
makambodza here kuti ngoma yenhau ndeyekupembedza mugabe hadzi mugabe igarwe rinogara mumvura
kana akaordainwa akazodyiwa sei muna2008
Who who who bla miki as usual, rubbish thoughts kubatana semagaro anoparadzana pakuiswa, kumama or kupisika. Nxa Mugabe akabatana nani?? Mhondi iyo
God knows.only God can judge us
Gamba guru reAfrica, Shumba yavachena nezvimbwasungata zvavo. Yakakomborerwa iyo nyika inotungamirirwa nehutongi hunobva kudenga kuburikidza nava Mugabe. Baba tinokutendai. Tinokudza mbiri yenyu uye tinotenda Mwari varikukutungamirirai. Nekuti humambo hahubvi kuBritain, America, Australia, France kana Germany. Hutongi haubve pakufananidzwa naMandela, kupihwa doctorate rausina kudzidzira kana kunzi “Sir” kuFrance. Hutungamiri hausi hwekutengera vanhu tumaradio, kuisa uchisiya vana vevanhu kana kukumbira dzimwe nyika kuti dzitemere zvirango zvehupfumi nyika yaunoti unoda kutonga. Hutungamiri hwechingochani hahubudirire. Gushungo narinhi. Gore rino Zanu Pf chete. Vatsigiri venyu takabatana semägärö anongoparadzana päkùmämä.
Idiot he is a totemless goblin who is a hypocrite
Happy birthday all the same VaMugabe. In the early 80s we composed songs and even prayed for your long long life. God, indeed answers prayers and He is answering the prayers of the children of Zimbabwe, one by one. Haters, long life does not come from Mugabe; it comes from GOD Almighty. Mugabe acknowledges the same and on this one statement, I agree with the old wily fox!
Happy birthday our beloved President, wish you many more.
Well said Mangena.
A usurper when he reigneth is madness till the end.
one day people will say happy birthday zimbabwe
In 1989 I had a dream. I President Mugabe ruling Zimbabwe for a very long time despite opposition. The events have unfolded one by one. Hate him, but if God has chosen him, who are we to judge him. King David was equally hated by some and even killed someone because of lust. He cried to God and became the man after God`s heart. I am delighted to hear our dear President elevate God. We continue praying for his health. We love you. We are proud of you.
How can God anoint a political opportunist, murderer and totemless miscreant to lead the nation? He would have had a token legacy to preserve had he not resorted to murder, starting with the 20000 in the 80’s to the hundreds up to 2008. He speaks well at public fora but his deeds are rotten to the core, much as the devil misleads us all with sweet talk that leads us all to destruction! Just look at his followers like snaggay, they are just little demons who will be scattered across the four faces of the country when the biggest demon goes!
Long live Baba Mugabe. Come elections we will come home to vote for you. Many prayers go with you.
WHAT MUGABE IS SAYING IS BLASPHEMOUS TO THE ALMIGHTY
MUGABE NEEDS TO COME OUT INTO THE OPEN AND PRAY FOR REDEMPTION AND FORGIVENESS
What RUBBISH MUGABE THINKS HE IS SPARED AND APPOINTED BY GOD, THAT IS HOW ARROGANT MUGABE IS. MANY EVIL MEN AND WOMEN HAVE LIVED A LONG TIME.
President Mugabe said God gives people life so that they fulfil objectives and enables them to make the most apt choices.
“And the choice that we make is that we shall live to serve others as indeed we serve ourselves, our nation and our country. The Lord wants us to be Zimbabweans in their own country with right of ownership over our own resources with abilities and capabilities to defend those rights against those who want to encroach on them,” he said.
MUGABE IS CURSED AND HAS A ONE WAY TICKET TO HELL WAS MUGABES OBJECTIVE TO ORDER THE KILLING OF 20000 INNOCENT SOULS WAS THAT HIS OBJECTIVE AND APT CHOICE. WE ALL KNOW MUGABE HAS ORDERED THE KILLING OF MANY ZIMBABWEANS,
MUGABE SAYS The Lord wants us to be Zimbabweans in their own country with right of ownership over our own resources with abilities and capabilities to defend those rights
WERE THE WHITE FARMERS AND MDC SUPPORTERS NOT ZIMBABWEAN? WHO IS THIS OLD GOBLIN KIDDING . MUGABE HAS BLED ZIMBABWE DRY THIS IS HOW OUT OF TOUCH AND ARROGANT THIS OLD DICTATOR THINKS HE IS A GIFT FROM GOD. MUGABE IS AKIN TO THE DEVIL THAT IS FACT
Jesus died at age 40, but the devil is still living until now, so what.Those who do evil should live longer so that they suffer their misdeeds and be judged by their subjects.Mugabe is not blessed but is cursed, we are all aware of his cruellity up to this living day, even those who pretend to be his sympathisers knows the truth.To be a hero does not need one to shed blood.
long live Presiident.Happy birthday wish you many more years.Kwete zvanaGreyhu.re vanopera neH.I……
Another year another birthday for Magnanimous Mhondoro Mugabe, “Big Bone of Nehanda”, the Virtuous, the Wise, the Courageous, the African Hero without a second, and the Scourge of criminal euro colonialists.