Zimbabwean Information Minister, Webster Shamu, has told the AFP that reports that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was battling for his life in a Singapore hospital are “a lot of hogwash”. It must really irritate Bob when people make stuff up about him.

Shamu wouldn’t confirm exactly where Mugabe was, but it was reported last week, by state media, that he was in Singapore on a private visit to arrange post-graduate studies for his daughter, Bona.

Reuters quoted their own senior Zanu-PF government official, who confirmed this to them today:

The president is well and away on a private holiday to help his daughter prepare for post-graduate studies, but we are expecting him home this week.

The update follows a news article that appeared on the Zimbabwe Mail news website saying that Mugabe was seriously ill, and had agreed to hand over power to defence minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

A government source, who didn’t want to be identified, said Mugabe was well and denied the report.

He is on a private visit in Singapore. He is not in and was not taken to any hospital. He is well and should be back later today or tomorrow, which is why cabinet was pushed to Thursday. The story from the Zimbabwe Mail is a complete fabrication.

Shamu continued:

This is not the first time we have heard these rumours. If anything like that had happened, we would have issued a statement.

Mugabe’s health is continuously speculated upon, but has received increased attention following the WikiLeaks publication of a cable in which it was revealed that, in 2008, Mugabe was reportedly diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Doctors were said to have given him three years to live.

[Source: AFP]