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| author/source:New Zimbabwe (UK) |
| published:Tue 27-May-2008 |
| posted on this site:Wed 28-May-2008 |
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| Article Type : News |
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| "Sikhanyiso what is this? Yibunyonyo (It's ants)" |
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By Lindie Whiz
President Robert Mugabe's vision is so poor that he cannot read newspapers, Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu has unwittingly disclosed. Ndlovu told state media editors at a briefing last week that Mugabe had complained that he really wanted to read papers about what was happening in the country, but could not because the print was "the size of ants", and asked the minister to tell editors of the state newspapers to increase the font size. Ndlovu took the President's message to the editors. "We could not believe it when the minister said the President had told him to ask us to increase the size of the font. We all looked at each other amazed at what he had just said. We could not hold ourselves and openly giggled about it," said an editor who attended the briefing. Herald editor Pikirayi Deketeke suggested to Ndlovu that perhaps he did not understand what Mugabe was referring to. Deketeke said the President may have been referring to adverts by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), which were in even smaller print.
Ndlovu rejected Deketeke’s construction, telling him: "No, the President clearly said he could not read stories in the Herald. Once when he wanted to read a story on page two about MDC and Zanu PF he failed. He called me and said ‘Sikhanyiso what is this? Yibunyonyo (It's ants)’." Deketeke told Ndlovu it was unfortunate that there was nothing the editors could do about the font size, as it was a worldwide standard and could not be changed. Mugabe's state of health is a closely guarded secret, but the disclosure by Ndlovu has given a hint that the 84-year-old leader’s health may be failing. Mugabe arrived in Harare from the Far East hours just before he was scheduled to launch his June 27 presidential election run-off campaign. It is believed he visited doctors, possibly in China, to be "boosted" for the gruelling run-off campaign against MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai, who is four decades his junior. New Zimbabwe.com readers reported a sighting of Mugabe on May 24 inside a Carrefour hypermarket in Singapore, shopping with his family. "They spent much time in the toiletries section. I have to say that the scene was quite surreal," one reader said.
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