Another trip to Singapore???

This is just the latest media spin about the president’s closely-guarded health that has caused intense speculation in recent months. Several government and Zanu (PF) sources have revealed that Mugabe has been receiving chemotherapy for prostate cancer, contrary to the official government line, which has lost credibility with most Zimbabweans.

Mugabes office denied a media report in a British newspaper in January during the presidents annual leave, which said he had fallen ill and undergone surgery in Singapore. Upon his return, Mugabe rubbished the report, saying he was as fit as a fiddle.

Hardly two weeks after his return from holiday, he flew back to Singapore. This time, his spokesman, George Charamba, claimed Mugabe was going back for a check up for the cataract surgery he had during his holiday, contradicting Mugabe’s spirited denial that he ever underwent surgery of any kind.

Now he has flown back again, hardly two weeks after returning from Singapore. His health has been a cause for concern, even inside Zanu (PF) for some time now. There is now anxiety that his prolonged and frequent absences are badly affecting his schedule of meetings and other duties, including Cabinet sittings.

His appearance last week showed a frail old man putting up a charade of fantastic health, but the bad health was apparent and he leaned on the podium most of the time as he delivered his hardline bombast.

His intense birthday schedule – he threw two massive parties but missed Friday’s 21st February Movement Musical Gala at the National Sports Stadium, and also travelled to Chadzwa to assess the diamonds mining – could have complicated his condition, prompting his return to Singapore.

Political analysts say the current level of information – and disinformation – is all by classic design, and is being executed to perfection by his spin doctors. All the speculation has created a buzz in Harare not seen since Mugabe’s near collapse on July 27 last year at the closing ceremony of the African Unions Summit in Kampala, when aides rushed to prevent him from falling.

He came back then but they are not so sure about this time. No one knows what the truth is. Mystery is the order of the day with most people believing that the powers that be are scrambling behind the scenes to conceal information. Mugabe’s health is guarded as a state secret. Whatever his true condition, people are talking. Quietly.