News / National
Grace wanted Mugabe to quit politics, he appears to be deteriorating mentally
06 Sep 2011 at 06:27hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe is "out of it about 75 percent of the time", his wife, Grace, told Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono, according to leaked United States embassy cables.
With a strong hint that Mugabe, 87, was now senile, his wife is alleged to have confided in Gono that she wanted him to quit politics.
Gono revealed Grace's anxiety to the former US ambassador Christopher Dell during a private meeting held in his spacious 22nd floor office at the Reserve Bank HQ in February 2006, according to a "confidential" cable released by WikiLeaks last Friday.
"The Governor confided that Mugabe appeared to be deteriorating mentally and losing his capacity to balance factional interests," Dell wrote in his report following the meeting.
"He (Gono) said that Mugabe's wife had confided to him that the President was 'out of it' about 75 percent of the time and she wanted him to step down."
Gono strongly denied the claims on Monday, telling New Zimbabwe.com: "These claims are the rogue ambassadors' opinions, the product of their fictional minds or whatever kind of grass they were smoking.
"By attempting to quote me on awkward topics, these guys were trying to authenticate their pre-gathered, preconceived notions about a particular matter to add credibility to their imaginations."
President Mugabe turned 87 in February and his wife's concerns, if true, would suggest his advanced age and reported ill health were beginning to take their toll.
With a strong hint that Mugabe, 87, was now senile, his wife is alleged to have confided in Gono that she wanted him to quit politics.
Gono revealed Grace's anxiety to the former US ambassador Christopher Dell during a private meeting held in his spacious 22nd floor office at the Reserve Bank HQ in February 2006, according to a "confidential" cable released by WikiLeaks last Friday.
"The Governor confided that Mugabe appeared to be deteriorating mentally and losing his capacity to balance factional interests," Dell wrote in his report following the meeting.
Gono strongly denied the claims on Monday, telling New Zimbabwe.com: "These claims are the rogue ambassadors' opinions, the product of their fictional minds or whatever kind of grass they were smoking.
"By attempting to quote me on awkward topics, these guys were trying to authenticate their pre-gathered, preconceived notions about a particular matter to add credibility to their imaginations."
President Mugabe turned 87 in February and his wife's concerns, if true, would suggest his advanced age and reported ill health were beginning to take their toll.
Source - Wikileaks
