Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces are being asked to raise one billion Zimbabwean dollars ($11 000) each to celebrate President Robert Mugabe’s 82nd birthday next month, a state-controlled newspaper reported on Friday.
The longtime Zimbabwean leader’s official birthday celebrations are to be held in the eastern Manicaland province, the Manica Post reported.
”Our president is a source of inspiration to all the country’s youths and we need to ensure that this year’s celebrations are a resounding success,” said Enock Porusingazi, the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union — Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) party youth chairperson for Manicaland.
”Each province is expected to raise one billion dollars and a number of activities have already been lined up to ensure that the 10-billion dollar target is met or surpassed,” he added. The massive fund-raising drive comes as most Zimbabweans battle to survive amid soaring inflation rates of 586%.
Mugabe was born on February 21, 1924 at Kutama Mission in central Zimbabwe.
Porusingazi told the Manica Post, which is published in the border city of Mutare, that Zimbabwe was ”blessed” to have a leader ”of the calibre of President Mugabe”.
Mugabe has been in power since independence from Britain in 1980. He remains popular among rural Zimbabweans, and his party has just swept council elections in the town of Chitungwiza which so far was a stronghold of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). – Sapa-DPA