Is Mugabe still fit to rule Zimbabwe?

Debate is raging once again about President Robert Mugabe's capacity to effectively rule and remain at the helm of the country that he has presided over with an iron fist for most of the past 35 years.

In addition to his advanced age and increasingly poor health, that is commensurate with his age, requiring him to make frequent and costly State funded trips to the Far East for medical attention.

Mugabe is also contending with arguably his biggest political challenge since independence, an open rebellion by many senior members of his ruling Zanu-PF party.

His controversial and increasingly influential wife, Grace, has also lately added to his woes by wading aggressively into formal national politics, culminating in the brutal purges of many senior Zanu-PF officials that include former VP Joice Mujuru- in an ill-advised move that has worsened the ruling party's ugly factional and succession wars.

Analysts yesterday said it was time for the nonagenarian to step down as he had allegedly now become a "lame duck" and "absentee" president who was often travelling outside the country "frivolous" missions or for medical attention than actually governing the country.