About 100,000 guests are expected to attend Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s 93rd birthday celebrations later this month.
Born on February 21, a date that spawned “the 21 February Movement”, this year’s celebrations are due to be held in Matobo, a scenic and popular tourist area about 40km from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
According to Zimbo Today.com, an associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (Pvt) Ltd, Mugabe has invited Pope Francis – among a host of other foreign dignitaries – to be guests at the lavish event that will be held in a game park.
Sources close to the leader, who currently holds the world record of being the oldest president, say that Mugabe sent a special invitation to the Pope around August last year but it is still not yet confirmed if the head of the Catholic Church has accepted the invitation.
“He (Mugabe) has invited the Pope to Zimbabwe verbally twice before, but around August last year, a formal invitation was sent to the Vatican for the Pope to be guest on the President’s birthday. It is not clear if he is attending,” the source told the Newspaper.
“The pope cannot be the guest of honor at the birthday bash because Mugabe always insists on being the guest of honor. ” The Spokesperson of the Pope, Greg Burke, confirmed to Zimbo Today.com in an email message, additionally confirming that the Vatican City had indeed received an invitation from Harere.
“We can confirm that an invitation was received from His Excellency, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe for the Pope to grace his birthday celebrations and due consideration was given to the invitation and, the feedback was communicated to Mr Mugabe,” Burke said.
The cost of Mugabe’s birthday party is unknown, but in the past such celebrations have cost millions of dollars.
Farmers in Matobo National Park where the bash will be have been urged to “donate” a beast each, as a way of demonstrating their “appreciation” for Mugabe, and 150 cattle are targeted for slaughter.
Jacob Mafume, spokesperson for the People’s Democratic Party Zimbabwe— a breakaway party from the main Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai — said the country had nothing to celebrate at all.
“He [Mugabe] is the only person who celebrates the day he was born; for others it is a day of mourning,” he said.
aaron@ugchristiannews.com
