News / National
'I'll only quit when insane,' says Mugabe
09 Dec 2014 at 08:58hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has declared his wish to die in office, telling Zanu-PF supporters at the party's congress which ended on Saturday that he would only step down when he becomes "insane".
"For as long as I am still sane and fully bright in my mind, I will be available to lead you. I think I still have the willpower and have a good memory and a good catchment area," Mugabe said to thunderous applause.
Fighting growing health problems amid reports he is suffering advanced prostate cancer, Mugabe, who turns 91 in two months, has shown a slowing down and made uncharacteristic gaffes and slips when giving speeches at the congress.
While addressing veterans of the country's liberation struggle ahead of the weekend congress, Mugabe, before he was corrected, admitted that he and Zanu-PF had not done well in the 2008 elections.
But he damagingly added that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai garnered 73 percent of the presidential vote in the plebiscite.
"When we failed to win, when Tsvangirai got 73% of the votes ...," said the veteran leader.
His comrades in an audience that also included the country's security chiefs interjected immediately, reminding him that Tsvangirai in fact got 47%.
Belatedly a surprised Mugabe came to; "Oh, he got 47 percent of the votes and I got 43%," he corrected himself, adding, "Vanhu (people) made noise. They said don't worry, elections, no elections. I said we should have elections, there is no winner with this 50 plus 1%".
The 2008 elections raised a lot of dust after authorities took the better part of five weeks to announce the results of the presidential vote that showed the opposition had won "but not enough to take the presidency".
The subsequent run-off turned into a bloodbath, forcing Tsvangirai to walk out at the eleventh hour citing systematic violence against his structures.
As if the elections gaffe was not enough, at the closure of the congress Mugabe again clumsily chanted, "Pasi neZanu PF" instead of "Pamberi neZanu-PF".
He was reminded by his wife Grace Mugabe that he had made a mistake after which he corrected himself.
Mugabe has, through contentious constitutional changes, been given imperial powers that now allow him to appoint people to the Zanu-PF's communist style presidium as well as the politburo.
He has already been endorsed as the Zanu-PF candidate for the 2018 elections four years ahead of schedule. He will be 94 then.
"For as long as I am still sane and fully bright in my mind, I will be available to lead you. I think I still have the willpower and have a good memory and a good catchment area," Mugabe said to thunderous applause.
Fighting growing health problems amid reports he is suffering advanced prostate cancer, Mugabe, who turns 91 in two months, has shown a slowing down and made uncharacteristic gaffes and slips when giving speeches at the congress.
While addressing veterans of the country's liberation struggle ahead of the weekend congress, Mugabe, before he was corrected, admitted that he and Zanu-PF had not done well in the 2008 elections.
But he damagingly added that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai garnered 73 percent of the presidential vote in the plebiscite.
"When we failed to win, when Tsvangirai got 73% of the votes ...," said the veteran leader.
His comrades in an audience that also included the country's security chiefs interjected immediately, reminding him that Tsvangirai in fact got 47%.
Belatedly a surprised Mugabe came to; "Oh, he got 47 percent of the votes and I got 43%," he corrected himself, adding, "Vanhu (people) made noise. They said don't worry, elections, no elections. I said we should have elections, there is no winner with this 50 plus 1%".
The 2008 elections raised a lot of dust after authorities took the better part of five weeks to announce the results of the presidential vote that showed the opposition had won "but not enough to take the presidency".
The subsequent run-off turned into a bloodbath, forcing Tsvangirai to walk out at the eleventh hour citing systematic violence against his structures.
As if the elections gaffe was not enough, at the closure of the congress Mugabe again clumsily chanted, "Pasi neZanu PF" instead of "Pamberi neZanu-PF".
He was reminded by his wife Grace Mugabe that he had made a mistake after which he corrected himself.
Mugabe has, through contentious constitutional changes, been given imperial powers that now allow him to appoint people to the Zanu-PF's communist style presidium as well as the politburo.
He has already been endorsed as the Zanu-PF candidate for the 2018 elections four years ahead of schedule. He will be 94 then.
Source - online
