SWITZERLAND: REVEREND CANAAN BANANA QUITS BISHOP ABLE MUZOREWA'S DELEGATION AT RHODESIAN CONFERENCE AND CALLS HIM IRRELEVANT TO RHODESIAN SETTLEMENT MOVES.

Record ID: 566306

  • Title: SWITZERLAND: REVEREND CANAAN BANANA QUITS BISHOP ABLE MUZOREWA'S DELEGATION AT RHODESIAN CONFERENCE AND CALLS HIM IRRELEVANT TO RHODESIAN SETTLEMENT MOVES.
  • Date: 10th December 1976
  • Summary: 1. GV EXTERIOR Palaise de Nations, Geneva. 0.05 2. GV INTERIOR Reverend Canaan Banana makes statement at news conference. (2 shots) 2.02 BANANA: "We have taken a stand. We have now made a clear break with Muzorewa. And we have returned to where we naturally belong and that is with ZAUN At home we met with over-whelming support for the ZANU cause and the position ZAUN has taken at the Geneva conference. We have come to Geneva to reassure our delegation of the unquestionable support of the masses of our people in Zimbabwe. It has been the tradition of the A.N.C. to lie to the people about its control or lack of control of the armed forces -- that is the people's armed forces. We maintain that the support the A.N.C. currently enjoys is superficial and that Muzorewa's political gamble is to hi-jack ZANU support. Muzorewa ha taken advantage of his free and easy passage into Zimbabwe. We are convinced that given the same opportunity Comrade Mugabe would in fact draw three times or four times the number of crowds that turn out to greet Bishop Muzorewa. The people of Zimbabwe at home have been shamed by the compromising position the Muzorewa delegation has been taking at the Geneva conference. They are fearful of an imminent sell-out were Muzorewa allowed to have his way. I believe Bishop Muzorewa is now irrelevant to the political situation in zimbabwe today and I think the best he can do is to honourably retire and go back to the pulpit." Initials VS 2.00 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 25th December 1976 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Reuters ID: LVAE01QJ24KPQDR53KHZ65FQZIT7
  • Story Text: A former first vice-president of the Rhodesian African National Council (A.N.C.), the Reverend Canaan Banana, has publicly claimed the A.N.C. nationalist leader, Bishop Able Muzorewa, is irrelevant to the Rhodesian settlement talks. Mr. Banana announced on Friday (10 December) that he had quit the A.N.C. in favour of another nationalist leader -- Mr. Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU).

    SYNOPSIS: Mr. banana gave the news to reporters in Geneva.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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