Loss of Knighthood "blessing in disguise."

"This knighthood is meaningless to land hungry black Zimbabweans. It should also assume the same meaningless form in the rest of Africa because Africans do not survive on knighthood but on their resources, such as land. Knighthood did not bring independence to Zimbabwe and to Africa." Deputy Information Minister, Bright Matonga

On Friday the government controlled Herald newspaper in Harare ridiculed the decision by Queen Elizabeth to revoke President Robert Mugabe's knighthood. The newspaper described the decision as a "blessing in disguise." The article quoted Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity, Bright Matonga at length saying the following:

"My President never used that knighthood. It meant nothing to him and it means nothing to us as Zimbabweans and this is why it was never talked about here. Zimbabwe is not a part of the British Empire and their titles and honoraria mean nothing to us unless they promote the values and virtues of our existence in the form on protection of our land rights and our right to exploit our resources.

My President has nothing to benefit from being considered a subject of the British Queen. It is something we rejected and that is why Britain today is trying to meddle in our affairs. The same goes for the honorary degrees that various Western institutions gave him.

Cde Mugabe is a very educated man with seven degrees of his own that he earned through his own sweat. You will not hear him talking about his honorary degrees and in fact, they can take them away along with the knighthood

The whole American story is that of trying to establish military base in Africa and President Mugabe is a threat because he would certainly reject such a move. The British story is a bilateral problem emanating from the historical colonial land issue.

This knighthood is meaningless to land hungry black Zimbabweans. It should also assume the same meaningless form in the rest of Africa because Africans do not survive on knighthood but on their resources, such as land.

Knighthood did not bring independence to Zimbabwe and to Africa. It was the war waged by comrades that brought independence to Zimbabwe and it is the land revolution that makes sense to President Mugabe's supporters not knighthood."

The article also quoted an anonymous "social commentator" as saying: "I am sure that given a choice between knighthood on one side and his country's independence, sovereignty and 100 percent empowerment any reasonable Zimbabwean would never go for knighthood."

On Thursday President Mugabe was reported as telling a rally "We continue to respect the queen. It's the demons at Downing Street that need to be exorcized."