Mugabe set for R74m mansion
2005-02-28 22:54
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Special Report
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe says some white farmers will be spared under his controversial land reforms.
Zimbabwe's coalition government still has many challenges to face.
Erika Gibson
Pretoria - The finishing touches are being put to the R74m retirement home for President Robert Mugabe.
Undertaking the work is a team of South African, Arabian and Chinese interior decorators, responsible for the interior finishes in the mansion.
According to information supplied by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, at least 50 riot police, assisted by members of the infamous Central Intelligence Office (CIO), guard the house.
It is not yet known when Mugabe will move to his mansion, but residents of the area surrounding the estate are already subjected to regular security inspections.
The house sits on an estate of 17.6ha and the public has been prohibited from coming near it.
In addition, the estate also is guarded by highly sophisticated security systems, including a multimillion-rand radar system.
25 bedrooms, flats for children
Chemical and biological sensors have been placed at strategic points along the approach routes to the estate to enable early detection of any form of "attack".
The sensors are supported by radiological tracking systems, including radiation-detection instruments which the guards carry on their belts.
The Zimbabwean civil aviation authority regularly patrols the airspace above the estate with a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft to ensure that no other aircraft enters the no-go zone.
Sniffer dogs of the CIO are deployed to guard against any explosives on the grounds.
It took three years to complete the house.
According to Mugabe, the mansion was not built with ratepayers' money but with donations from countries such as Serbia (the construction work), Malaysia (which donated the wood), China (the roof tiles and also the design of the house).
However, it is not clear where the money came from for the Italian marble, the finest crystal from Europe, the sunken jacuzzis and carpets from the East.
The mansion has 25 bedrooms, a flat for each of the three Mugabe children, a helipad, swimming pools and servants' quarters.
Two artificial lakes form part of the extensive gardens.
The house is three times bigger than State House, official residence of the country's head of state.
- Beeld