Nigerians tried to bewitch me, Mugabe tells birthday party
What you need to know:
- President Mugabe said Ms Mujuru was now too desperate to push him out of power even after he won an election in 2013.
- He said the Nigerians ordered Ms Mujuru to buy chickens that were named after herself, the president, his wife and Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
- “God is for us all. I also go to church, I do not believe in superstition. We were taught God’s teachings.” Despite claims made since October last year that Ms Mujuru plotted to kill President Mugabe, she has not been charged with any crime.
HARARE, Sunday
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe says top officials in his ruling Zanu PF sought the services of Nigerian withdoctors in a bid to kill him.
President Mugabe made the bizarre claims yesterday as he celebrated his 91st birthday at a lavish party hosted by the party’s communist-styled 21st February movement.
The veteran ruler, in power since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, turned 91 on February 21 and claims he was ordained by God to rule forever.
He told party supporters at the celebrations held at a top hotel in the resort town of Victoria Falls that fired Vice-President Joice Mujuru used two Nigerian witchdoctors in her alleged plot to have him killed.
Ms Mujuru was fired together with more than 10 Cabinet ministers for allegedly plotting to assassinate President Mugabe and being involved in corrupt activities.
The former VP has repeatedly denied the allegations and some of the fired ministers are preparing a court application to challenge their expulsion from Zanu PF.
DESPERATE
President Mugabe said Ms Mujuru was now too desperate to push him out of power even after he won an election in 2013.
“We managed to know what (Ms) Mujuru was doing at her house, even consulting witchdoctors,” he claimed. “Recently she invited two Nigerian withdoctors. We heard that they were specialists in the field of withcraft. They were specialists, yes, but specialists in robbing people, foolish people.”
He said the Nigerians ordered Ms Mujuru to buy chickens that were named after herself, the president, his wife and Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The president said the chickens representing Ms Mujuru’s opponents were slaughtered with the Nigerians allegedly proclaiming that their deaths were imminent.
He claimed the former Vice-President, who was his deputy for 10 years, performed the rituals naked.
“Where do these Nigerians get the powers to entrap the soul of a human being into a chicken or sheep and then kill him?
“God is for us all. I also go to church, I do not believe in superstition. We were taught God’s teachings.” Despite claims made since October last year that Ms Mujuru plotted to kill President Mugabe, she has not been charged with any crime.
President Mugabe has repeatedly threated that the fired government officials would be sent to jail for alleged corruption but no action has been taken up to now. Last year, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs ministry summoned Zimbabwean envoy in Abuja Stanely Kunjeku to protests after President Mugabe said Nigerians were corrupt.
The Nigerian government said it had lodged ‘the strongest protest’ against the veteran ruler’s statements.
