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Mugabe’s lavish 92nd birthday party angers critics

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe (C), flanked by his wife Grace Mugabe (L) and daughter Bona, blows out candles on his birthday cake during a suprise party at State House in Harare/AFP

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe (C), flanked by his wife Grace Mugabe (L) and daughter Bona, blows out candles on his birthday cake during a suprise party at State House in Harare/AFP

ZIMBABWE, Feb 27 – Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, the world’s oldest leader, hosts lavish celebrations to mark his 92nd birthday on Saturday at a time of severe drought and increasing friction over his succession.

Tens of thousands of party loyalists, officials and members of the public are expected to attend a day of concerts, street parades and parties in Masvingo in the south-east of the country.

“Organisers have been working flat-out to ensure the celebrations are a success,” Simon Khaya-Moyo, spokesman for the ruling ZANU-PF party told AFP.

“Everything is in place and we are looking forward to tremendous events.”

Mugabe, who turned 92 last Sunday, has ruled for 36 years during an era marked by vote-rigging, mass emigration, accusations of human rights abuses and economic decline.

On his actual birthday, state media poured praise on his leadership since independence from Britain.

In its 16-page special supplement, the Sunday Mail said on its front cover: “Thank You Bob, We now have a voice, since 1980”.

The main party on Saturday will be held in a large tent at the Great Zimbabwe ruins, a UNESCO world heritage site that was built in the 13th Century as the headquarters of the Munhumutapa empire.

Cattle and wild game will be slaughtered for the feast, with organisers claiming that as many as 50,000 guests are expected.

The scale of the celebrations, costing a reported $800,000 this year, attract annual controversy in Zimbabwe, which recently declared a “state of disaster” due to the drought and widespread food shortages.

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