Harare - The world's oldest head of state, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, turned 86 on Sunday, with no indication that he plans to give up his long hold on power. Mugabe, who came to power after independence in 1980, has led the southern African country for 30 years. He is to mark his birthday, as he has in previous years, with a lavish public feast next Saturday.

 

His repressive and often violent term of leadership is the fourth- longest of any current leader in Africa. He is accused of having made Zimbabwe a pariah state.

 

His power was significantly diluted last year when he was pushed into entering a power-sharing government with his pro-democracy opponent, Morgan Tsvangirai, now prime minister.

 

Western diplomats say he appears frail. At a rare public appearance last week his voice continually wavered into a high pitch during his speech to a conference. Afterwards, he was seen to fall asleep on the podium.

 

Mugabe nevertheless maintains a busy schedule that involves regular tough negotiations with Tsvangirai and keeping his increasingly divided Zanu-PF party in check.

 

The last time Mugabe publicly spoke on his future was in 2008 when he declared he could not resign until he had ensured all Zimbabweans have their land, a reference to his controversial land reform programme that has seen white farmers stripped of their property.

 

Late last year, top Zanu-PF officials made it clear that they intended him to be their candidate for another five-year term in the next election.

 

Mugabe's birthdays produce extravagant displays of fawning from his party faithful. State-owned media carry long supplements wishing him many more years and praising him as the most consistent, authentic and revolutionary leader, with a life of selfless dedication.

 

Mugabe is however widely credited with economic policies that resulted in 2008 in the spectacular collapse of one of Africa's most prosperous economies and regular incidence of severe national famine in the country of some 12 million people.

 

He is also blamed for the displacement of nearly 2 million people through what is widely regarded as a reckless land-grab and a nationwide slum clearance operation in 2006. He has also long been held responsible for the massacre of an estimated 20,000 civilians from the minority Ndebele people during a low-level uprising in the west of the country soon after independence in 1980.

 

Officials are to host a day-long celebration in the second city of Bulawayo on Saturday that will involve a feast for 15,000 children from around the country and members of Mugabe's powerful and wealthy ruling clique and their families.

 

Zanu-PF officials say the so-called 21st of February Movement plans to spend 500,000 US dollars on the birthday party, and have already raised 300,000 dollars.

 

Plans for the lavish celebrations have drawn angry condemnation from Mugabe's critics who question the spending of vast sums of money on what is essentially a cult movement, while the country relies on Western aid to keep 2.7 million of its citizens from starving. The celebrations also coincide with a strike by civil servants who earn a mere 160 US dollars per month.

 

A national opinion poll published late last year showed that if Mugabe was to face elections, he would win 12 per cent of the vote. International election monitors say that Mugabe has won each of the five national elections since 2000 by violence and fraud.