HARARE –A healthy looking President Robert Mugabe appeared in public for the first time on Tuesday since weekend reports suggesting he and his wife Grace had flown to Singapore to seek medical treatment.

Mugabe was seen consoling the family of his late top ally and deputy director general of the secret service Menard Muzariri who died on Monday.

The President told mourners that Muzariri, who he described as a brave and dedicated revolutionary, will be buried at the National Heroes Acre shrine in Harare, the burial place for outstanding leaders of Zimbabwe’s 1970s armed struggle for independence.

“He (Muzariri) has been given the respect (national hero status) in recognition of his work and contribution during the struggle, his courage, determination and sacrifice for the freedom of the people,” said Mugabe, speaking in the vernacular shona language.

There has been widespread speculation about Mugabe’s health after his aides two months ago broke with tradition to confirm that the Zimbabwean strongman -- who is 87 years old -- had during his January vacation in Singapore undergone an operation to remove an eye cataract.

A follow-up visit to Singapore last February for a review on his eye and last Friday’s trip to the Asian country only helped to stoke up speculation about the Zimbabwean leader’s health, even as some of the reports suggested that he had this time only accompanied his wife, Grace, who was not feeling well.

Grace was not with Mugabe at Muzariri’s funeral for reasons that were not made public.

In power since Zimbabwe’s 1980 independence from Britain and Africa’s oldest leader, Mugabe’s health is a closely guarded secret and a matter for speculation and sometimes wild rumour.

The veteran leader was earlier this year forced to publicly deny media reports that he had undergone an operation for a prostate problem in Malaysia

His ZANU PF party’s candidate for president in elections he says must take place this year, Mugabe used his address to mourners to call on his party to end infighting and unite to defend the former liberation movement’s grip on power that is under severe challenge.

“We want peace, not what we hear that people are fighting and over positions in the party … that is not what Menard fought for,” said Mugabe, whose advanced age has sparked a bitter and divisive struggle among top ZANU PF leaders wishing to succeed him as leader of the party and possibly Zimbabwe.

Infighting between frontrunners to succeed Mugabe -- Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa and Vice President Joice Mujuru – is seen weakening ZANU PF’s bid to regain lost political ground at the next polls that could take place either this year or early 2011.

The former sole ruling party was defeated in parliamentary elections in March 2008 while Mugabe lost a parallel presidential election to then opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, and now Prime Minister after a power-sharing deal brokered by regional leaders.

By Zimonline