Mugabe lone foreign leader at Malawi event

via Mugabe lone foreign leader at Malawi event 06 July 2014 by Staff Reporter

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe flew out to Malawi Saturday to attend the former British colony’s Golden jubilee, even skipping the burial of national hero Stanley Sakupwanya who was a member of his Zanu PF’s politburo.

When Mugabe left Harare for Lilongwe on the eve of the celebrations Saturday, the state media claimed, “Several Heads of State and Government from SADC and beyond are expected to attend the Golden Jubilee Celebrations.”

But what turned out to be several heads of State and government was in fact, the lonely figure of the 90-year-old leader. In fact, the closest to a foreign head of state except for Mugabe was Tanzania’s Vice President Mohammed Garib Bilal.

“Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is the only head of state who will be joining President Peter Mutharika and Malawians in celebrating the golden jubilee that will take place on Sunday in Lilongwe,” Malawi’s Nyasa Times reported Saturday.

President Mugabe, who has never missed an opportunity to fly out of the country, turned his back on the burial of the late national hero Stanley Urayayi Sakupwanya.

Mugabe easily delegated the task of leading mourners to Sakupwanya’s burial to his vice, Joice Mujuru, something he is yet to do if it were for foreign assignments.

The veteran leader is under fire for failure to invent solutions to the country’s sagging economy, something that has seen public servants having to wait for monies scrounged through taxes to receive their salaries.

Political analyst Charles Mangongerea said Mugabe, by continuously absenting himself from his troubled country, has virtually turned himself into a ceremonial President.

“I don’t think he is running this country anymore, that’s why he finds time to do such things,” said Mangongera.

“I don’t think he is still typical CEO of a country who will be inundated with the day to day running of the economy and the state affairs.

“I think he is more comfortable out there, away from the problems of the country.”

MDC-T politician, Job Sikhala recently said the Zimbabwean leader risked a coup through his endless foreign jaunts.

His only daughter and first born child, Bona, according to Grace Mugabe, was snatched by a pilot husband, right in the sky, during one of the first family’s foreign excursions.