Zimbabweans blast Mugabe jamboree

Zimbabweans have described President Robert Mugabe's lavish birthday bash today, scheduled for the tourist resort town of Victoria Falls, as obscene and a clear testimony that he is an insensitive leader.

Champagne and caviar, as well as elephant steak and buffalo rump will be in ample supply at the extravagant jamboree, as his supporters celebrate not just his 91 years, but apparently also his 35 uninterrupted years in power.

However, opposition parties have let rip at Mugabe, saying the lavish party is evidence that the nonagenarian was not concerned about the evident suffering of Zimbabweans.

Sibongile Mgijima, deputy spokesperson for Welshman Ncube's MDC, went to the extent of accusing Mugabe of "hating" his own people yesterday.

"In Zanu-PF, you have a party that genuinely hates the people of Zimbabwe and holds the people at ransom, depriving them of their inalienable right to choose a government of their choice and demands for that government to serve the best interests of the people," Mgijima said.

"This is what we should be talking about day in and day out, with or without the birthdays, and we are better off without focusing on the anecdotal examples of the profligacy of Zanu-PF," she added.

Obert Gutu, MDC spokesperson, alleged that Zanu-PF was abusing State coffers to fund Mugabe's party.

"Zanu-PF as a political party is also broke and they have not been paying their party workers for more than eight months now. Where, therefore, will Zanu-PF get the money to hire trains from the NRZ.

"The fact of the matter is that the trains will simply be commandeered to ferry people to attend the obscene jamboree in Victoria Falls on February 28, 2015. God save Zimbabwe!

"The Zanu-PF regime is like an albatross around the necks of the suffering majority in Zimbabwe. The majority of the people cannot wait to see the back of this kleptocratic regime," Gutu said.

Maxwell Saungweme, a political analyst, added that the lavish birthday party was testimony that Mugabe was too old and out of touch with reality.

"Thus, the million dollar birthday bash comes in the midst of abject poverty facing the majority of Zimbabweans.

"All this at a juncture that the country faces many challenges and where that kind of money that is literally being burnt on an unnecessary bash could have been invested on other worthier causes.

"We are doomed. We have a very reckless and indifferent government, with a very old president who is out touch with realities facing the nation.

"He is surrounded by very useless bootlickers who continue to lie to him that he is doing fine and should keep on yet age and nature is taking a toll on this old and tried leader," Saungweme said.

Zapu spokesperson Mjobisa Noko said Mugabe was celebrating his deliberate destruction of the country's economy.

"This is the height of Zanu-PF insensitivity. What this means is that Mugabe does not care what is happening to ordinary Zimbabweans. He has destroyed this country over the last 35 years and tomorrow he wants to celebrate that.

"This should not be allowed to happen. It should stop forthwith. Is this the Zim Asset that they are talking about? You can't spend $1 million when it is not investment. How can Zimbabwe keep on investing on an old man who is anti-people and anti-democracy," Noko said.