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 program 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.
