Mugabe’s 92nd birthday to be marked with £550,000 ‘thank you’ festival bash

Robert Mugabe who has been in power in Zimbabwe for 36 years turned 92 this week and staff at his office presented him with a huge cake to mark the occasion. A bigger party will be held this weekend in the city of Masvingo featuring a huge 92kg cake and the whole party costing £550,000.

The Party will be a ‘thank you’ for the world’s oldest head of state with banners and billboards seen carrying the slogan ‘Thank you, Bob, for giving us a voice to be heard’.

It comes as vast swathes of the capital city of Harare will be without water and electricity during the politician’s birthday tomorrow due to ‘scheduled maintenance work’, according to officials. According to the Times Live of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Electricity Distribution and Transmission Company will cut the power from 6am to 6pm.

There have also been calls for the party to be cancelled due to a widespread drought in Zimbabwe which is thought to be affecting three million citizens.

According to The Times, Simba Makoni, of opposition party Mavambo Kusile Dawn, said: ‘[Tanzania’s] President Magufuli cut out state ceremonies, yet we must squeeze hard-earned dollars for someone’s big ego trip…among starving people.’

Mr Mugabe’s ‘speaking ability and sharpness’ has been questioned recently and a medical specialist told The Times that ‘one’s mental facilities at that age mean you cannot deal with the kind of issues that he is supposed to’.

But the president himself said earlier this month: ‘I will be there until God says ‘come’, but as long as I am alive I will rule the country.’

Three days ago riot police tear-gassed war veterans in Harare who were protesting against what they claimed was the growing influence of the first lady, who is reported to have said she is senior to the vice-president in the government.

Local press are now predicting the political party could fall apart when Mugabe dies because of in-fighting.