"The president is not sick but was away on holiday. He returned home yesterday (Tuesday), and those reports are a load of rubbish that we get from sick and evil minds," Reuters news agency quoted the official saying.
The presence of Mugabe's urologist in Dubai, Awang Kechik, fuelled suspicion he was there to check up on the ZANU PF leader. Kechik is normally based in Malaysia. A few years ago Mugabe suffered a prostrate cancer scare but it was never known whether the cells turned out to be 'benign' or cancerous.
Mugabe did return home on Tuesday and his party officials began issuing denials that he was not in poor health. "He took his children on a week's holiday before schools open next week. He does this every year. He's back in the country," another official was quoted as saying. Mugabe's health remains a closely guarded secret and it would be unlikely any of his close aides would admit he is receiving treatment or give details of any ill health he might be suffering from. A South African Sunday Times report quoted passengers aboard the scheduled Air Zimbabwe flight on which Mugabe travelled saying he appeared 'gaunt'. Speculation was rife over the weekend that he was unwell.
Journalist Denford Magora suggested in his blog that Mugabe would use the trip, as he normally does, to have his Botox injections. "It is likely that when he does come back, you will see him looking chubbier around the face than he has been the last few weeks. The Zimbabwe dictator has been having these injections since 2002." He said the injections "have a noticeable effect on Mugabe, who looks gaunt and drawn when their effects have worn off and quite healthy and chubby about the face soon after they are administered." Magora claimed the last time Mugabe had these injections was just before the inauguration of Jacob Zuma in May this year.
It is a measure of how reviled Mugabe is in many quarters that any reports of his ill-health are celebrated. After 29 years of iron fisted rule, marked by the Gukurahundi Massacres, Operation Murambatsvina and numerous bouts of election related violence and murder, not many wish him well. Some years ago the former Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, said he would pray for Mugabe's death so that the country could return to peace and prosperity. Mugabe would later respond with a 'honey-trap' that saw the bishop disgraced and removed from his position. While Mugabe's supporters call the speculation on his health 'evil and sick' the victims of his misrule continue to speculate, and hope. As they see little hope for any real change in Zimbabwe while Mugabe holds on to power.
Meanwhile Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai are due to meet South African President Jacob Zuma on Thursday. Zuma is set to officially open the Harare Agriculture Show. Despite Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba denying that Zuma will tackle outstanding unity government issues, MDC officials insist he will meet all three party principals and seek a resolution of the 'toxic' issues. The Secretary General of the African National Congress Gwede Mantashe has also confirmed that Zuma will be more 'vocal' in dealing with what he sees as 'deviant behaviour' in the power sharing government.
Those hoping Zuma will crack the whip on Mugabe will probably be disappointed by the fact that he will cease to be SADC chair in a few weeks and DRC President Joseph Kabila will be taking over. Kabila has in the past spoken of Mugabe as a 'father figure' and will feel bound by a sense of loyalty, given that Mugabe unilaterally sent in troops and massive military support to help Kabila Snr in a war described as Africa's World War - a conflict that sucked in 7 African nations and resulted in the deaths of over 5 million people.
Zimbabwe's support of this conflict was one of the main reasons for it's own economic collapse, but ZANU PF's ruling elite had been rewarded with rich mineral concessions, that continue to this day.
Earlier this year SW Radio Africa exposed the fact that Vice President Joice Mujuru was using her daughter, based in Spain, to market the gold and diamonds the family was illegally exporting from the DRC. One deal alone was said to be worth US$20-US$40 million for the Mujuru's - each month.