‘Mugabe now working only 30 minutes a day’ as doctors from Singapore reportedly flown in

By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |

A team of doctors was last week flown into Harare from an Asian country believed to be Singapore, to “medically prop up” President Robert Mugabe’s health ahead of the Heroes Day celebrations, according to new reports.

The claims could not, however, be independently confirmed.

A columnist thought to have inside information on President Robert Mugabe and says he frequently travels to Harare, Ken Yamamoto, wrote in his latest instalment that the president had also drastically reduced his daily working routine to 30-minute afternoon sessions.

Yamamoto claimed Mugabe, 92, is now spending most of his time sleeping, seemingly because of old and failing health.

“Doctors had to be flown in this last week from Asia to medically prop him up to enable him to stand the rigors of Zimbabwe’s long weekend which includes the Heroes day festivities.

“Except when he has pressing meetings, Mugabe now works 30 minutes a day, often coming to his office around 3pm and leaving half an hour or so afterwards to go home and sleep,” said Yamamoto.

War veterans, Mugabe’s former storm troopers who led violent land takeovers from thousands of white commercial farmers from 2000, recently said the president was too old and must resign.

They accused him of scaring away financial aid due to his old age.

His current Higher and Tertiary Education and former Information minister, Jonathan Moyo, several years ago called for Mugabe’s resignation due to advanced age.

The president has often sneaked out to Singapore to receive emergency and routine medical attention amid reports that he has prostate cancer and his eyes are failing while he frequently collapses.

A recent photograph showing Mugabe’s wilted hands has gone viral.

Yamamoto, who predicted that Mugabe would not last another 12 months, also claimed that Mugabe’s wife, Grace, no longer shared the family bedroom with the president, saying she “now lives in a separate section of their mansion”.

Grace, though, has vowed that her husband will continue ruling Zimbabwe, even if that has to be from a wheelchair or his grave. Nehanda Radio