HARARE - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's health is deteriorating and he has stepped up plans to ensure that the speaker of parliament, Emmerson Mnangagwa, succeeds him as head of state in case he himself opts out of presidential elections due next year, a newspaper report said today.
Zimbabwe's Financial Gazette said authoritative sources had said that despite Mugabe's somewhat robust appearance in public, his health was failing him.
Mugabe keeps matters about his health a closely guarded secret and has not shared this information even with some of his closest aides, but the newspaper's sources said obvious evidence of his failing health had manifested in symptoms resembling epileptic fits which caused him to collapse unexpectedly.
Mugabe, who turned 77 last month, had six stitches put above his right eye after he collapsed in Malaysia last November. He also reportedly collapsed while in Libya en route to the UN last year.
Sources say an ongoing campaign by Mugabe's new troubleshooter Border Gezi to dissolve provincial executives of the ruling Zanu-PF party was meant to entrench Mnangagwa's position in the party.
Mugabe elevated Mnangagwa to the powerful post of Zanu-PF's administration secretary at the party's congress last year after earlier orchestrating his ascension to parliamentary speaker.
- INDEPENDENT ONLINE (SOUTH AFRICA)
Mugabe's health in doubt
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