HARARE, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Thursday accused some unnamed officials in his ruling ZANU-PF party of trying to trigger economic havoc as a ploy to effect regime change and oust him.
Mugabe said the recent price increases of some basic commodities and manipulation of currencies on the market was meant to incite people to rise up against the government.
"There are those who are manipulating the currency so they can trigger inflation and cause panic buying. Those people are saboteurs and they are amongst us, they are like Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. They are among us and let us expose and shame them," Mugabe said while burying Maria Msika, the widow of former Vice President Joseph Msika at the National Heroes Acre in Harare.
Mugabe said the people pushing for economic chaos wanted to push him out of power but he vowed that he was not going anywhere as yet.
He said he was put into the position by people and it will be the people again who will choose his successor when he decides to step down.
"I did not take the position by force. When the time comes, the people will choose who they want to succeed me but for now I am fully and firmly still in charge," Mugabe said.
His party is battling intense infighting by factions vying to succeed him even though the veteran leader has been endorsed by his party as its presidential candidate in next year's polls when he will be 94.
In recent days, Zimbabwe has witnessed a spate of price increases of some basic commodities, with retailers citing foreign currency shortages.
Social media rumors at the weekend claiming imminent shortages of basic goods also fueled panic buying and hoarding of basic goods and fuel by consumers and motorists, prompting government to issue a stern warning to people abusing social media to spread alarm and despondency in the country.
Mugabe said the "saboteurs" will not succeed in their plans to cause economic havoc as government was closely watching and monitoring the situation.
The Zimbabwean government introduced bond notes in November 2016 as a way to alleviate cash shortages in the economy but the surrogate currency which was officially pegged at par with the U.S. dollar has been gradually losing its value to the greenback on the parallel market.
The government recently secured a 600 million U.S. dollars forex stabilization facility from Afreximbank and has reassured the nation that there will be no shortages of goods due to foreign currency shortages.
