Mugabe takes a holiday
2009-01-06 13:04
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A Zimbabwean government official has appealed to Chinese firms to invest in Zimbabwean mines, asking companies to ignore the country's recent troubles.
Harare - The political crisis in Zimbabwe would have to wait at least another 30 days to be solved as President Robert Mugabe decided to take a month's holiday, the Dispatch Online reported.
Mugabe will go abroad - reportedly to Malaysia - later this week, according to the website. He is expected to be back in Zimbabwe in early February.
"This is more of a retreat than an annual leave. The president is very busy reflecting on the new structures that are needed to deal with the economic sanctions against Zimbabwe, as well as working on structures of an inclusive government which must come soon," the state-owned Sunday Mail quoted Mugabe's spokesperson George Charamba as saying.
Political commentator Lovemore Madhuku criticised Mugabe for taking a holiday from the crisis-hit country.
"It shows that he is not concerned about the suffering people. One can only afford to go on leave if one has done something tangible. Honestly, Mugabe has done nothing that deserves a rest," The Dispatch Online quoted Madhuku as saying.
"Cholera is killing people and the economy is bleeding and someone decides to abandon the ship and rest. For what?"
Mugabe threatened last week to form a unity government, with or without the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
The ruling Zanu-PF said at a meeting in South Africa at the weekend that a government would be set up by the end of February.
Zimbabwe has been hit by cholera epidemic that has killed more than 1 600 people so far.
-Dispatch Online/News24
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