Zimbabwe denies report of Mugabe's death

Robert Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.

The Zimbabwe government on Thursday denied reports that 91-year old President Robert Mugabe had died in Singapore after rumours of his ill health had spread.

Presidential spokesman, George Charamba, told the state-run Herald newspaper that: “You cannot doubt that there will be a story on the President’s alleged death every January.”

January is usually when the president takes his annual leave outside the country. He blamed the ZimEye website for starting the rumour saying, “This is the way the website seeks to improve its hits in order to get dirty money. There is a financial incentive to the grim lie.”

The President is the world’s oldest national leader and has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.