Mugabe fulfils AU promise, first batch of donated cattle auctioned

Harare –The first batch of the 300 cattle donated by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to the African Union (AU) in 2016 has been auctioned in the southern African country’s capital Harare, a report says.

According to the state-owned Herald newspaper, the official figure for the auction was not yet available but it was believed that at least 100 plus cattle were sold at the auction, with most of the cattle raking in around $800.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi was quoted as saying that the auction was a major contribution towards the realisation of the AU’s self-financing agenda.

He said that Mugabe was a staunch supporter of the continental body’s self-reliance agenda.

“It was during his chairmanship of the Union that a time-frame was set for the self-financing as an organisation that within the next five years the African Union must finance 100% of its operations, at least 75% of its programmes and at least 25% of its peacekeeping operations and this is being implemented,” Mumbengegwi was quoted as saying.

Another auction for some of the cattle was expected to take place in Gweru on Thursday.

The vetran leader was expected to hand over the proceeds of the auction to the AU in July.

Mugabe, who held the rotating AU presidency until January 2016, said at the time that he wanted the cattle “to play some part in… making the foundation keep going.

“It just struck me that no one had ever thought of a gift by way of cattle to the AU and since we are cattle people, why shouldn’t we also make a gift to the AU in cattle form?”

Source:News24