President Robert Mugabe is now in Singapore after attending the 8th summit of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) in Papua New Guinea which ended yesterday.
BY XOLISANI NCUBE
According to flightradar24, an aircraft tracking site, Mugabe also made a one-day stopover in Singapore on his way to Papua New Guinea. Mugabe frequents Singapore for medical attention.
Acting Information minister Supa Mandiwanzira said he was out of office and unaware of the Singapore trip before referring NewsDay to Regis Chikowore, who is acting secretary for information in the absence of George Charamba, who is travelling with Mugabe.
“I am in my constituency right now; I don’t know what you are talking about. Why don’t you talk to the acting secretary for information Cde Chikowore? Maybe he might be of great help,” Mandiwanzira said.
Chikowore said: “How can I know about the President’s trip when I am here? I don’t know about that.”
Mugabe was in South Africa for Fort Harare University’s centenary celebrations on May 21 before heading to Singapore immediately after the event supposedly to pick up his family after the birth of his first grandchild – Simbanashe – son of his daughter Bona and her husband Simba Chikore.
He returned home in time for the “million-man march” on May 27 organised by the Zanu PF youth league before leaving for Papua New Guinea via Singapore on May 29.
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Mugabe reportedly cut a lone figure at the summit attended by 13 prime ministers, one deputy prime minister, a Speaker of Parliament, 14 ministers and 16 ambassadors from more than 50 registered ACP countries. His latest trips to Papua New Guinea and Singapore have once again attracted condemnation from the opposition.
“Mugabe’s foreign trips never cease and it seems like he gets sick if he spends a single month in Harare,” MDC-T spokesman Obert Gutu said.
“So far this year his trips have gobbled a whopping $80 million and there is not a single achievement made through his insatiable appetite for air travel.”
He said the MDC-T condemned “Mugabe’s purposeless and costly trip to Papua New Guinea as it showed his cavalier approach to issues affecting Zimbabwe”.
“People have spoken, but he remains mute, deaf and blind. His obstinacy is amazing. Even trips that require a secretary of a ministry, Mugabe takes over,” Gutu said. “To date, he lives as the most travelled African leader who brought home more hunger, poverty and suffering.”
People’s Democratic Party spokesperson Jacob Mafume described Mugabe as now a threat to the nation, saying: “Things are not moving. The country is at a standstill, we have long queues.
“There is no cash and people are suffering endlessly yet the leader of that country is flying as if everything is normal. It’s sad. The centre can no longer hold. Things fall apart for Zimbabwe.”
