Zimbabwe’s President 89 year-old Robert Mugabe (he was born in February 1924) was ‘reelected’ to office in August of this year, his seventh term in office as either Prime Minister or President. At the end of this term in office in 2018 the aged leader will be 94. Time then to retire? Not a bit of it, it seems.

Presidential Affairs minister Didymus Mutasa tried to quell speculation as to Bob’s successor by suggesting that he could well stand for another five year term in 2018.

“If you read the Bible”, said Mutasa, “there are some people who went beyond 100 years but still ruled. Why can’t it be repeated?”

If elected again in 2018 (and who would bet against Mugabe ‘winning’ the election?) and were he to serve out his time in office, Zimbabwe will still be under the enlightened and beneficial rule of President Mugabe when he is 99 years old.

ZIMBABWE’S PRISONS: 100 STARVE TO DEATH

Meanwhile, Agrey Machingauta, Deputy Commissioner of the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZAPCS) has told the parliament in that country that so far in 2013 (and there’s still a few days to improve on this score), 100 prisoners have died in Zimbabwe’s jails due to starvation.

“It is true that we face challenges feeding our prison population” Machingauta told a parliamentary committee this week.

DEAR MR MUTASA…

Memo to Didymus Mutasa: If you are going to refer to the Bible in support of Robert Mugabe perhaps you should also look up what it has to say about the treatment of prisoners. Nothing there about letting them starve to death.