Africa's all this leader says he's not going anywhere

freedom fighter for many he's perceived as a dictator by Western countries

Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe this his inside story

hello and welcome to inside story I'm Sam is a damn

Africa's oldest head of state celebrates his 90th birthday on Friday

Robert Mugabe insists that despite his age he's not ready for retirement

Zimbabwe will be marking its president's birthday with a lavish 1,000,000 dolla

party

is expected to exceed last year's bill in the gobi was presented a cake

said to weigh eighty nine kilos when a country still trying to

get back on its financial fate how much uva celebrates removed is there

how to a Taser sends us this update from Harari President Robert Mugabe will

celebrate his birthday on Sunday at the time I don't get up on

kilometres from Academy alright according to media reports the pots

cost about one million US dollars

government officials say a place to me the mighty coming from the nation's

from private companies the readings on PF party

but critics say a lots time up that money is coming from state coffers

and not happy about that think that the big money struggling

they say that indices operating in different pop it

hefty and the thing that most people I topless when you talk to the habits

people

on the CD thing a body are struggling to make ends meet

parents are fighting with a hot by money send their children to school

it by adding hot too basically feeding badly that p.m. that day

back to consider the average the bobbing yet economy

with not doing very well they want to be able to put more tainted

on fact is it is making money on but they celebrate

Africa's most elderly statesman has been in power since nineteen

a team that's when Zimbabwe gained independence from the British

Mugabe became president after leading a bloody guerrilla war against the

colonial rulers have what

was then rhodesia and his zanu-pf party has been in power ever since

despite repeatedly being rocked by corruption scandals

but at age 90 Mugabe's aides insist he's fit

and healthy though he was on another medical trip to Singapore this week for

I surgery

and is widely rumored to have prostate cancer well he could go on this

president

even longer a new constitution passed before last year's disputed elections

allows Mugabe to run again in 2018 meeting he could rule

till the age of 99 a lot to talk about when it comes to my god help discuss the

issue

i'm joined here by our three guests from how far away we have

about goto NDC her I province spokesman

from London Nick man wanna the UK chairman

zanu-pf and from Oxford Chalfont versatile a journalist and former editor

of the Sunday Mirror

in Zimbabwe good to have you with us we could start with Nick how was in bob

wins marking the birthday then do you think I've Africa's oldest leader

we thank God I am a with a good celebration

abt which defeat a man that is taken as from mom

and the colonial bond h2 libertine MN that is empowered

our nation so %um will we are gonna celebrate we will be celebrating in the

UK

will be celebrating in Zimbabwe in Marondera so

I head somebody talking about them

1 million being spent on a bad day it's actually not robert was gonna

he's gonna eat all the food is it it's theirs but when you off

so is part of the 21st movements so we are we are we are very happy and

celebrating the presence best day

all right jeff amber what keeps Mugabe popular he's

clearly still Poppea with some sections of society is Nia is it his hero status

from the war of liberation

yes

arm I guess you could say that President Robert Mugabe

-ism one of the last of the big man

I'm those that derived from the African

national liberation struggle and I'm having

come through a bloody guerrilla war as you just intimated

I'm these credentials stand

him on solid ground as it where and I'm

also this narrative has

had every in today's Asian in the late 90's to

early 2000's when the fallout with them the former colonial power Britain

kicked in the narrative that was reignited

then was that a new imperialist forces

trying to subvert he knows about his sovereignty

and so even those that were born after independence they were mobilized into

this thinking that I'm

time was now to get there though loans and defend national sovereignty

and President Mugabe a stood up I'm

boa and reprised that role once more as a

the liberation champion and hand so

in that sense %um see the popularity

a of Robert Mugabe resonating

with those young people that are connected to them PF and and some within

the generality of his evolving nation all birds

how important is the war liberation how

much other focus is it for people for a younger generation who

are facing new challenges economic challenges

bill of liberation was obviously significant

in the sense that it's helped a so the bobbitt into independence from

many as a British colonial rule but that's eight

we now have been generous enough young zimbabweans more than stick it to five

percent of Zimbabweans are below the age of forty

and must have these youths do not have fest and information

on knowledge up there independence or or what some other people prepared to go

though of liberalism

and I can safely say that the majority took the people love

zimbabwe all I get what it indicated

at the youths and not very much in the morn to that

East Sea of this %uh go in the sense that

build idealize the man who

at the very advanced a diff ninety

Stu wants to cling on to power when it is paid

clear that is past its sell by dates

and that did you know the spektr nighttime you has the best option

did this the more you the police with tech yes missed a good to you continue

to get better I'll yes I think we'll get you got it wrong jury that

you got it wrong during the elections you'd didn't think that while it the

young people supported by Medina not to allow us to

in your program my last updated: step dad we review the majority of the %uh

people always at fault

sign up here I was blown into I wrong I'm not an old man myself

out in Zimbabwe hi I spend I spent a long time in Zimbabwe We Will Forte

committed by analog man let you have everything everywhere in our it

alright alright let's look at it tonight maybe the real really that the country

that's I'll take it to Nick

because she doesn't have a problem hi I on a second if you would mister budd

make the country does have a problem does know when it comes to unemployment

8 it's risen to anything from 10 to 60 percent depending on whose figures you

take whether the official ones or the UN figures

imports are rising faster than exports I

the overall GDP per person is drop since mugabe came to power those are real

issues are they not how do you respond to the accusation that

Mugabe's trying to do with people up with patriotism to distract them from

the real issues your response to that

that's that's not correct we

ever attribute aid and we ended going to that one is true peace

the problem in it with unemployment is coming from sanctions which have been up

the in impose on our country you be such incentives op-ed that it had we will

SOS New York New York how do you call it adds okay I don't know let me they don't

really understand it will come to you in a second

this accident could the shrinkage you know in a stream they've

undermined all on current strain it said that we are using foreign currency right

now

is is as a as as a means of red soul want the sanctions up

up I lived in an era of our country we are going to

it up grow as a country our GDP is gonna go back to it was supposed to be

that's not the primary issue here okay all right let's thanks God which oooo

bitterness got 20 total

let me bring Albert into this discussion ISA

element of truth in that Zimbabwe's me on the sanctions and

E there are those who say the West seems singularly

obsessed with Mugabe big bats because of his

past in resisting colonial rule there are a lot of countries in Africa

that have problems that have corruption that have a problematic human rights

records but

is there not an obsession with with Zimbabwean with Robert Mugabe in

pantyhose

accept them as such

and that does not session as such because the way I look at it

the biggest talents that we have in Zimbabwe

since 1980 has been and peace attended corruption

in this country when you look at it when we come

up got independence in April 1980 Zimbabwe's arguably

this second largest economy in South Africa

in the southern region zimbabwe let the bed basket

Africa so to speak Zimbabwe was exporting to the world

we went and met food exporter

and thanks to mister Mugabe and send appear

we are now a basket case and that will be held attractions such as 2 percent

of the people that's not because the sanctions but not sanctions

is upset because of misread because of because of corruption

sanctions they have 10 I'd say no doubt that there is no doubt I already have no

doubt that this corruption in the country

mean alright let me let me bring let me bring gerchas somebody the discussion

yes yes yes I'm if I may come in with a perspective they

in response to first to make and then also to orbit

BAM I think I'm they is

a lot of disquiet a among Zimbabweans

about be consistent to a promotion of sanctions

as you know the explanation for everything that has gone wrong

in Zimbabwe bear in mind that I'm you started off with the

a a mention of the hard facts

you know concerning employment and economic performance

leading up to the time before the sanctions came into force

so already we had a trajectory unfolding

thats did not quiet I'm support as an appeal as a competent manager of the

national economy

though that issue of I'll let you know never ends 10 repackaged and then

secondly secondly just not right away from you

a little but not let let yeah I don't know what to tell you one thing I'm good

how the unpleasantness

I wanna talk about everything let's we couldn't remember let's

let's fast forward talking about this is you know the birthday of Africa's

all this leader let's look towards the future now Gabi has brought in some new

policies like

Zim acid its post to turn the country's economy around

is it working the laughing stock symbols

I'm it's not 10 is simply must look at it it's actually

I into lead let your fam behalf his two cents worth here that will come down

okay I think about hours hours I was a %uh interrupted

before I made the second part of my point that one

the sanctions excuses rather spacious find the is

you know to a level at which such as affected the economy

but also before such as came into force you must bear in mind the hard facts

which reflect an economic downturn

so the ease and inflammation they outside of the sanctions

to its okay can be made that the boy gonna try to open economy now 15 min

before you leave it that

yes yes that of course all but says they they they were there is no obsession

but by the international community on summer but quite clearly

that is the reason why is a mobile is so prominent in a in that on the

international agenda ahead of countries where

outright civil war he's it now has broken out

I'm that is the reason why you know britain in the EU in in the US

are more invested in Zimbabwe than they are in the DRC for instance where war

has always raced

okay okay all right point point taken your point is there's a bit of both

mismanagement and obsession I'm going to ask Nana turn the question back

now to mister over Tim Hardaway how let's look forward okay I know the

sanctions debate

verses economic mismanagement that can go on for a very long time but i wanna

look forward in this show

other new policies which zanu-pf have brought in

are they working Zim acid is supposed to be turning around the country's economy

says be leveraging resources to attract foreign capital