Low-key Mugabe bash
Low-key Mugabe bash

Low-key Mugabe bash

News24
Zimbabwe's ex-president Robert Mugabe is reportedly not going to have his regular extravagant birthday celebrations this year despite the 21st of February being declared a public holiday, the Robert Mugabe National Youth Day, in November last year.

Born on 21 February 1924, Mugabe trained as a teacher and taught in what was then Rhodesia and Ghana before returning home to join the guerrilla war against white-minority rule.

He became prime minister after Zimbabwe attained its independence from Britain in 1980. He later became president in 1987.

Mugabe was, however, removed from power last year, following a military takeover that led to President Emmerson Mnangagwa's inauguration in November.

Mugabe has held several lavish birthday parties over the past decade across the southern African country.

The hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on the festivities provoked outrage each year, given Zimbabwe's fragile economic situation.

But, according to NewsDay, this year, the ruling Zanu-PF party's youth league has said that Mugabe's birthday will be a low-key event.

Acting information minister and Zanu-PF spokesperson, Simon Khaya Moyo confirmed that there would not be public celebrations this year for the veteran politician.

“It is a youth event. The youth have said they will clean-up the cities. But the party will send its well wishes and a cake. It is a day we treasure and we revere the former president,” Moyo was quoted as saying.

It was not clear whether the former president was part of the process, with suggestions he had snubbed his former party colleagues.

The leader of Zanu-PF's youth league, Pupurai Togarepi, last month said that the party would continue to honour the deposed leader.

“Since 21 February has been declared a national holiday, we are taking advantage of that day to honour Mugabe. As youths, we will embark on charitable work as well as spend some time with the former president. We want to have a cake and share with him. This, for us, will be a small event unlike previous ones,” he said.

NEWS24

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Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 211.71/OZ UP +0.96% | Copper US$ 3.98/lb DOWN -0.0015 | Zinc US$ 2 447.90/T DOWN -0.35% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.06/BBP UP +0.78% | Platinum US$ 898.08/OZ UP +0.36% Sport results: Weather: Katima Mulilo: 19° | 37° Rundu: 17° | 33° Eenhana: 18° | 33° Oshakati: 20° | 31° Ruacana: 19° | 33° Tsumeb: 17° | 29° Otjiwarongo: 16° | 28° Omaruru: 18° | 31° Windhoek: 17° | 28° Gobabis: 17° | 28° Henties Bay: 16° | 19° Wind speed: 24km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 10:54, High tide: 04:57, Low Tide: 22:58, High tide: 17:16 Swakopmund: 15° | 17° Wind speed: 29km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 10:52, High tide: 04:55, Low Tide: 22:56, High tide: 17:14 Walvis Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 33km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 10:52, High tide: 04:54, Low Tide: 22:56, High tide: 17:13 Rehoboth: 18° | 29° Mariental: 22° | 32° Keetmanshoop: 21° | 34° Aranos: 21° | 31° Lüderitz: 15° | 29° Ariamsvlei: 23° | 34° Oranjemund: 15° | 21° Luanda: 27° | 30° Gaborone: 20° | 32° Lubumbashi: 17° | 24° Mbabane: 15° | 23° Maseru: 12° | 28° Antananarivo: 16° | 27° Lilongwe: 17° | 29° Maputo: 20° | 28° Windhoek: 17° | 28° Cape Town: 17° | 23° Durban: 21° | 25° Johannesburg: 18° | 28° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 32° Lusaka: 18° | 30° Harare: 15° | 31° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23.96 | EUR to NAD 20.52 | CNY to NAD 2.63 | USD to NAD 19.03 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.33 | EGP to NAD 0.39 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.74 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.8 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.23 | USD to DZD 134.34 | USD to AOA 832.63 | USD to BWP 13.71 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1415.13 | USD to ZAR 19.03 | USD to ZMW 24.97 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 73909.5 Up +0.41% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1516.02 Down -0.13% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 12981.98 Up +0.34% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 28224.37 Down -2.87% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 211.71/OZ UP +0.96% | Copper US$ 3.98/lb DOWN -0.0015 | Zinc US$ 2 447.90/T DOWN -0.35% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.06/BBP UP +0.78% | Platinum US$ 898.08/OZ UP +0.36%