Religion and rumour dim the prospects for the presidential succession while the mining rows continue
A prophet has aroused some unchristian comment in Zimbabwe’s media, official and independent alike. Temitope Balogun Joshua, a popular Nigerian televangelist, had foretold the imminent death of an aged African leader who, he emphasised, was not from West Africa. Did he have President Robert Mugabe in mind? The Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front’s Didymus Mutasa, in one of his saner observations, said the deity did not reveal his intentions in that way. Then it was revealed that Mugabe had again sneaked off to Singapore, where he has been an out-patient for over a year, his ailment and treatment undisclosed. The sudden death of Malawi’s President Bingu wa Mutharika closed the episode. The official media glossed over the jubilation in Malawi; the independent media struggled to mask their disappointment.
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