DURBAN, South Africa – Former South African president Thabo Mbeki has lauded the late Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, calling him a combatant and true African patriot.

“He was a great patriot, a defender of Africa’s independence, a defender of Africa’s interests. He was very principled and very brave. He was able to speak out in defence of those [Africa’s] interests,” Mbeki said on Tuesday.

He was speaking at a memorial for Mugabe that was held by the African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal in a packed Durban City Hall.

Mbeki lashed out at Western countries, saying the UK and US, in particular, were adamant that Mugabe should be removed from public office through undemocratic means.

“He was a tried and tested African patriot, who stood very firm for the liberation of the continent. President Mugabe was a pan-Africanist, a great actor in the interests of the people of the south… That is why many people in the world didn’t want him. For us, he was a fellow combatant and a leader who would never ever abandon our struggle for liberation.”

Final farewell … Thabo Mbeki moments after viewing Robert Mugabe’s body at a stadium in Harare on September 14

Mbeki said when he was president, former UK prime minister Tony Blair contacted South Africa and proposed that Mugabe not run for president.

“We had a lot of interaction with them. In the end the British government under Tony Blair said it was ready to use force to remove Robert Mugabe. I’ve said this before, and Tony Blair said I was not telling the truth.”

Mbeki said Lord Charles Guthrie, the former Chief of the Defence Staff in the British army, had publicly stated that Blair’s administration often discussed removing Mugabe, but that he had advised Blair this would make things worse, not better.

“Blair said he did not get rid of Mugabe because it wasn’t practical since surrounding African countries showed lingering support for him and would have opposed any action… And indeed, we opposed it strenuously, because we are saying, the Zimbabwean people have a right to determine their own destiny.”

Mbeki added to a round of applause: “There is nobody who is going to come from London and decide for Zimbabweans on how they should govern.”

Mbeki attended a state funeral service for Mugabe in Harare on September 14.

The ANC memorial was attended by Mugabe’s nephew, Patrick Zhuwao, and former minister Saviour Kasukuwere who are both self-exiled fearing persecution by the regime of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who conspired with military commanders to overthrow Mugabe in November 2017.