President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Saturday declared that he is not dying nor does he intend to hand over power to anyone else.
The 93-year-old made this assertion in the midst of calls for a hand over due to questions about his health status.
According to him, no one has the political stature to take over from him.
Speaking at a rally in Chinhoyi, his hometown, Mugabe said: “There is the issue that the president is going. I am not going. That the president is dying. I am not dying.”
Calls for his resignation have intensified in recent times due to his now regular medical trips – he has travelled to Singapore three times this year for routine medical treatment- and his wife’s recent call for him to name a successor.
The nation, which has been under his rule since 1980, fears to be thrown into chaos if Mugabe dies without a structure and succession plan already in place.
“The president is dying. I am not dying. I will have an ailment here and there but body-wise, all my internal organs … very firm, very strong,” Mugabe said as he leant on the lectern.
Mugabe walked onto the stage slowly but without assistance. He also is now prone to dozing off during meetings and state occasions.
