Harare - Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has taken a month's leave and is to spend part of it on holiday outside the country, according to the state-owned Sunday Mail.
The report quoted Mugabe's spokesperson George Charamba as saying.
"This is more of a retreat than annual leave. The president is very busy reflecting on the new structures that are needed to deal with the economic sanctions against Zimbabwe as well as working on structures of an inclusive government."
Mugabe's time-out comes amid Zimbabwe's worse economic and humanitarian crisis.
The country has been without a new cabinet since the June 2008 presidential runoff in which Mugabe was the sole candidate after his opposition rival Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out, citing violence against his supporters.
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In mid-September, Mugabe and Tsvangirai, who heads the Movement for Democratic Change, signed a power-sharing deal and began negotiations for a unity government.
But negotiations broke down as the two sides failed to agree on the implementation of the pact.
Tsvangirai accuses Mugabe of wanting all the key ministries such as defence, information and home affairs.
Political commentator Lovemore Madhuku criticised Mugabe for deciding to "spend the little left of foreign currency" in Zimbabwe during his leave.
"It shows that he is not concerned about the suffering people. One can only afford to go on leave if one has done something tangible. Honestly, Mugabe has done nothing that deserves a rest," Madhuku said.
"Cholera is killing people and the economy is bleeding, and someone decides to abandon the ship and rest. For what?"
Inflation in Zimbabwe is the highest in the world, officially at 231-million percent.
The prices of the few available goods change every day as a result. More than 5-million people are in need of food aid, according to the UN.
A cholera epidemic has claimed more than 1 500 lives since August. More than 20 000 people have been infected with the waterborne disease as the country fails to import adequate water purification chemicals.- Sapa-dpa
- This article was originally published on page 6 of The Star on January 05, 2009
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