Mugabe marks 81st birthday with challenge to his critics

Robert Mugabe

JOHANNESBURG - Robert Mugabe has marked his 81st birthday with signals that old age will not remove him from the Zimbabwean presidency. The European Union marked the occasion yesterday by extending sanctions, already in place for five years.

Mr Mugabe's birthday is celebrated as a national holiday and the ruling Zanu-PF party is planning to host a large party at a stadium in the small eastern town of Marondera on Saturday. Thousands of schoolchildren are expected to be bussed in.

At the same time, Mr Mugabe has sacked an internal critic, and stepped up rhetoric against his critics at home and abroad.

The elderly leader told state television that he was hoping for a massive victory for Zanu-PF in the forthcoming election. This, he said, would rebut criticism from Tony Blair, whom he accused of sponsoring the main opposition group, the Movement for Democratic Change.

The President sacked his former senior adviser, Jonathan Moyo, at the weekend after the minister declared he would run as an independent in the general election after being passed over for the vice-presidency.

Zimbabwe, once regarded as southern Africa's breadbasket, is in a prolonged economic crisis because of the government's often-violent seizure of thousands of white-owned farms for redistribution to black Zimbabweans.

This has crippled the economy and led to rising unemployment, poverty and malnutrition. A combination of HIV/Aids and poverty has cut life expectancy to less than 34 years, the third-worst in Africa.

The public falling-out with a former favourite, Mr Moyo, was being seen by analysts as a sign of the octogenarian's determination to hold on to power at all costs.

As information minister, Mr Moyo introduced the harsh media laws that were used to ban three private newspapers, including the country's only independent daily. Almost 70 journalists were also arrested in one year alone.

Mr Moyo became the only member of Mr Mugabe's cabinet to match or surpass the President's anti-Western vitriol. He made outbursts against "hamburger-eating imperialists" and "the dysfunctional Blair Toilet System" when referring to the British Government.

The sacked minister has little public support and has enemies across the political spectrum. He also faces a barrage of embezzlement allegations from his former employers, the Ford Foundation and South Africa's Wits University. He had been allocated three formerly white-owned farms under the repossession programme.
Mr Mugabe is facing mounting criticism over his failure to co-operate with the Southern African Development Community lawyers who have been given the job of ensuring free and fair elections.

The President has banned all European countries except Russia from monitoring or observing the poll in March. He said that friendly African countries would be invited to observe the voting, but not to monitor.

Three journalists who covered Zimbabwe for foreign media organisations have left the country after being questioned by police last week over allegations of breaking the draconian media laws.

- INDEPENDENT