| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Africa: Southern | |
| Mugabe Watch Continues | |
| 2003-10-29 | |
| President Robert Mugabe, did suffer a minor stroke recently but was treated in Zimbabwe and not South Africa, some senior Zimbabwean officials said privately yesterday. They dismissed widespread speculation and media reports yesterday that the 79-year-old leader had been surreptitiously flown to South Africa for emergency treatment. South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said that the South African government had been notified that Mugabe was chairing the regular Tuesday cabinet meeting in Harare yesterday. He said the South African government had no knowledge of Mugabe having been to South Africa for treatment. "Nope, he ain’t here" Zimbabwe’s high commissioner to South Africa, Simon Moyo, said the reports were "absolute hogwash" and that Mugabe was chairing cabinet. Independent Newspapers’ correspondent in Harare, Brian Latham, confirmed that Mugabe’s motorcade had arrived at his central Harare presidential offices yesterday, presumably for the cabinet meeting. But Latham did not actually see Mugabe and in Harare his absence from public engagements for some time appears to be fuelling speculation that he is seriously ill. That’s what we’re hoping for. And Pahad could not completely rule out the possibility that Mugabe might have entered South Africa without informing the South Africa government and then returned to Harare for the cabinet meeting. He said under the rules of international protocol Mugabe need only have informed the South African government of a visit if he wanted VIP treatment in South Africa. If he flew into SA, somebody would know According to some media reports Mugabe was collected in Harare by a South African military aircraft and flown to Pretoria for treatment on Monday. Defence spokesman Sam Mkhwanazi said he did not know if Mugabe had been in South Africa but other defence officials denied firmly that he had been treated in any South African military hospital. Independent Newspapers contacted most of the major civilian hospitals in Gauteng and they all denied Mugabe had been treated there. "Nope"
"He’s drooling a little, but he’s fine." | |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #5 Are Bob, Ayman and Osama going to do a tape together then? Or just compile a box set? |
| Posted by: OminousWhatever 2003-10-29 5:01:16 PM |
| #4 Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe appeared on state television Wednesday, smiling and showing no visible sign of the health problems reported by some media in South Africa and Britain. The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation showed footage of Mugabe addressing an international cultural conference in the northwestern tourist resort of Victoria Falls and urging delegates to take time to enjoy one of the wonders of the world. This proves he's as healthy as Osama is. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-10-29 4:41:36 PM |
| #3 This BBC article may explain why he didn't want to be treated locally: Zimbabwe deploy army staff in hospitals - Hundreds of medical staff in Zimbabwe's army have been deployed to help in hospitals which have been hit by a strike by doctors and nurses. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-10-29 2:30:55 PM |
| #2 Are we there yet?...Are we there yet?...Are we there yet?... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-10-29 10:17:12 AM |
| #1 I believe it would only be more fitting for Mugabe to go for a long drive, not unlike those of his cabinet ministers of the past. 2001 May - Defence Minister Moven Mahachi killed in a car crash - the second minister to die in that way in a month. |
| Posted by: R.A. Myers 2003-10-29 10:14:59 AM |