Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Monday hinted that he was "getting to a stage" when retirement might be possible, when asked on state television if he was ready to step down. There has been mounting speculation that several officials within Mugabe's ruling party are jostling to position themselves to replace the 79-year-old leader, should he step down. Mugabe has said in the past that he would consider stepping down when his government had completed the land reform programme that has seen white-owned land redistributed among new black farmers. "We are getting to a stage where we shall say 'ah fine, we have settled this matter and people can retire,'" Mugabe said, when asked if he felt he had achieved what he had set out to.
| Sounds like he's stolen all the money. Time to move on... |
Mugabe often uses the royal plural "we" when talking about himself. In January this year it was rumoured that army chief Vitalis Zvinavashe and speaker of parliament Emmerson Mnangagwa had contacted opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai over a plan to retire Mugabe and form a unity government. The ruling party dismissed the report. Mugabe has been in power in the southern African country since independence in 1980.
| Emmerson and Don Vito don't come around anymore, I'll betcha... |
Mugabe also said he was prepared to meet opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai if the latter accepted Mugabe won presidential elections last year, the 79-year old leader said on Monday. In a wide-ranging interview broadcast on state television, Mugabe hit out at the United States for wanting him to hand over power to a transitional government, saying Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Walter Kansteiner could "go hang".
| Mmmm... No. Can't do that. He's not a citizen... |
The Zimbabwean leader was speaking in a special interview to mark Zimbabwe's 23 years of independence. But the celebrations have been marred for many by worsening economic hardships and widening political divisions. The country's main labour body has set Wednesday as the start of protest mass action over a massive fuel price hike announced last week. Inflation meanwhile has reached 228% and 7.8 million people have faced food shortages.
"Grace, I have bad news. There's nothing left to steal. The cupboard's bare."
"Hokay, sweety. Let's go live in France."
"I'll help you pack." |
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