* Mugabe says firms to be 51 pct owned by black Zimbabweans
* 91-year-old also defends land seizure policy
* Mugabe calls West "reckless" and "brutal" (Adds quotes, details, background)
By Tendai Dube
PRETORIA, April 8 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's President RobertMugabe on Wednesday defended his government's drive to takemajority control of foreign-owned mining companies, sayinginvestors must pay for exploiting Africa's mineral wealth.
In his first state visit to neighbouring South Africa in twodecades, 91-year-old Mugabe was scathing of mining firms thatcriticised a law obliging foreign-owned firms to sell at least51 percent to black Zimbabweans.
"You're leaving holes in my country and you want to say thecapital is more valuable?" Mugabe told reporters after tradetalks with South African President Jacob Zuma.
"The gold that I have, God given gold, is much morebeneficial to my country," he added, drawing applause fromZimbabwean and South African government ministers.
Impala Platinum, Anglo American Platinum and London-listed Aquarius Platinum are among foreignfirms operating in Zimbabwe, which has significant reserves ofplatinum, diamonds and gold.
Mugabe, Zimbabwe's only leader since independence fromBritain in 1980 and one of Africa's most divisive figures, wasalso defiant on the seizure of white owned commercial farms forredistribution to blacks.
Land is an emotive issue also in South Africa, where most ofit remains in white hands since apartheid ended two decades agodespite the ruling party's efforts at redistribution.
Western countries have withheld financial aid to Harare inprotest over Mugabe's policies and charges he has riggedelections to stay in power, worsening an economic crisis thathas driven millions of Zimbabweans to South Africa for jobs.
During an hour-long, unscripted speech, Mugabe attacked the"reckless and brutal approach of the West" towards Africa andthe Middle East, lampooning former British Prime Minister TonyBlair and describing the United Nations as a "circus".
Mugabe also drew raucous laughter from the South Africandelegation with jokes about protests by Cape Town students forthe removal a statue of Cecil Rhodes, a British imperialist whois buried in Zimbabwe.
"We are looking after the corpse, you have the statue,"Mugabe said. "I don't know what you think we should do? Dig himup? Perhaps his spirit might rise again."
Rhodes, regarded as one of the main proponents of whitecolonial domination, used his colossal diamond wealth to pursuehis dream of expanding Britain's empire, annexing Mashonaland -present-day Zimbabwe - and naming it Rhodesia after himself. (Writing by Joe Brock and Stella Mapenzauswa; Editing by JamesMacharia and Robin Pomeroy)