Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe made violent threats against gay people and compared them to ‘pigs and dogs’ at a recent rally in Muture, the third largest city in the country.

Addressing thousands of citizens ahead of next Wednesday (31 July)’s election, Mugabe said ‘we will cut they’re heads off’ which was likely to refer to gay people, as after that he said:

‘I told them they are worse than dogs and pigs, yes worse than dogs and pigs. I keep pigs and the male pig knows the female one.’

Mugabe has made homophobic tirades for years and has previously described gay people as ‘worse than dogs’.

The president, who has been in power since 1980, also ranted against US president Barack Obama at the rally.

‘We have this American president, Obama, born of an African father, who is saying we will not give you aid if you don’t embrace homosexuality,’ said Mugabe.

‘We ask, was he born out of homosexuality? We need continuity in our race, and that comes from the woman, and no to homosexuality. John and John, no; Maria and Maria, no.’

The Obama administration has used foreign aid to promote gay rights around the world since 2011.

Mugabe also criticized South Africa for supporting gay rights.

‘We are unlike South Africa, which upholds gay rights. We will deal with them here. Gay rights are not human rights. I am despised in some parts of the world because I said gays and lesbians are worse than pigs and dogs because these animals know their mates. We cannot allow our children to be worse than wild animals,’ said the president, who was internationally condemned for vote rigging at the last national election in 2008.

Earlier this month Mugabe said he would like to force gays and lesbians to form traditional families or they would go to prison.

‘I should like to shut them [gay couples] up in a room and see if they can get pregnant; if they don’t, then it’s jail because they have claimed they can have children,’ he said.

In January the new Zimbabwean constitution was revealed with a clause that criminalizes same-sex marriage.