MDC-T whipping up fake Bona outrage, says Zanu-PF

Pictures of President Robert Mugabe and Bona in meetings with Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on the side-lines of the UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction being held in Japan, have been splashed around the world over the past few days, raising eyebrows back home about whether the strongman was turning Zimbabwe into a monarchy.

While Mugabe's spokesperson was unreachable for comment, junior Zanu-PF spokesperson Psychology Maziwisa said in a statement yesterday that the ruling party had "noticed with great pity the rather desperate attempt by Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC-T party to make issue with Madam Bona Mugabe's trip to Japan in which she accompanied her father, our dear leader, President Robert Mugabe."

He also accused the opposition party of being clueless about what happens in the global political sphere, especially since there was no law, domestic or international, that precludes a head of State from with his or her daughter on State visits.

Maziwisa defended Mugabe for including his daughter Bona Chikore on an official government delegation to Japan saying there was nothing amiss with that as other heads of states have done it before.

Some analysts suggested that the First Family could not entirely depend on Mugabe's security team anymore due to his failing health, while others said the move was a serious breach of protocol aimed at turning the country into a monarchy.