Reports of Mugabe Heart Attack Greatly Exaggerated?

A British newspaper reported on Wednesday that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe may have suffered a heart attack, although commentators say the rumour is an annual occurrence and should not be taken seriously.

The Daily Star in Britain, referring to “reports in Africa” as its sources – which could have been the Zimbabwean news site Zim Eye – said that Mugabe had taken ill on holiday. Mugabe usually takes holiday at the end of the year, which is often when rumours of his demise start circulating.

Zim Eye published an unsourced letter saying that Mugabe had reportedly collapsed and his family had been told to expect the worst.

Two days ago the Zimbabwean presidency issued a statement to say that one of Mugabe’s deputies, Emmerson Mnangagwa, had taken over from his counterpart Phelekezela Mphoko as acting president while Mugabe was out of the country.

People took up the story on social media – some commenting that they were surprised Mugabe even had a heart, while others said they hoped the civil war veteran made a full recovery.

The Zimbabwe government told Reuters that a comment on the health of the 91-year-old president was unnecessary.

In Zimbabwe, meanwhile, journalists and others said they were used to rumours like this one, which seemed to circulate annually, usually in the slow-news month of January.