ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe has denounced as "a half-wit" a Catholic archbishop who called for peaceful overthrow of the country's regime.
Archbishop Pius Ncube, of the diocese of Bulawayo, called for "a non-violent popular uprising" to overthrow President Robert Mugabe, saying that the ruling Zanu-PF party will rig Thursday's elections. "No way will elections kick him out. Mugabe has made all his plans. He has cheated in 2000 and 2002," he said. The archbishop also claimed the government was controlling food supplies to starve opposition supporters into submission.
The archbishop was described as "a mad, inveterate liar" by a spokesman for the Zanu-PF party.
Archbishop Ncube visited Ireland twice in 2004 and in an interview with The Irish Times last July made similar allegations against the government in Zimbabwe. He denounced what President Mugabe was doing there as "very evil".
As to his own safety for being such a consistent public critic of the regime in Zimbabwe, he said: "what will be will be, but I believe God is mightier. I will continue to stand up to him [ Mugabe]."
While in Dublin, Archbishop Ncube was guest of honour at a meal hosted by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. Last October he celebrated Mass at the Holy Trinity Church in Cork city as part of the anniversary celebrations to mark Pope John Paul's visit to Ireland and to initiate "Mission Alive" week.
Yesterday Mr Mugabe said of the Archbishop: "I don't know to which God he prays. His prayers are not as pious as his name suggests apparently. He is . . . a half-wit. I don't know why the Vatican tolerates prayers of that nature."
Archbishop Ncube was also reported as saying Mr Mugabe's government was "really like a black dictatorship and, in many ways, worse than a white dictatorship, because under the white dictatorship at least they would allow food to flow."
It was reported from Zimbabwe on Saturday that opposition supporters in drought-stricken rural areas such as Matabeleland, near Bulawayo, were being denied emergency food supplies. A spokesman for the Zanu-PF party, Nathan Shamuyarira, denied the government was distributing food along party lines. He said the Archbishop was "a mad, inveterate liar."