PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has declared himself “fit” after returning home from his SEVENTH trip to Asia since the start of the year, and his second within a month.
Mugabe, 87, is fighting persistent rumours of ill-health, amid reports that he is suffering from prostate cancer.
Returning home on a scheduled Air Zimbabwe flight from China on Sunday, the Zanu PF leader told reporters at the Harare International Airport: “You want to ask me about my health? As you can see, this Mugabe is fit, but I don’t know about the other Mugabe [from media reports].”
Half-a-dozen senior government officials were at the airport to welcome Mugabe, including Vice President Joice Mujuru.
Mugabe showed no obvious signs of discomfort as he bounced off the steps of the Air Zimbabwe B767.
The President’s apparently failing health is set to become a major source of concern for his Zanu PF ahead of a key conference to be held in Bulawayo in December, at which the party must decide on its candidate for elections expected next year.