“Keep your pink nose out of our affairs” - Mugabe

During his visit to neighbouring South Africa, US President Barack Obama called on Zimbabwe’s government to apply key reforms ahead of the landmark elections, stating that the “harassment of citizens and groups needs to stop and reform needs to move forward so people can cast their votes in elections that are fair and free and credible.”

Britain also stated its misgivings about the elections with a Foreign Office spokesman saying that they “are concerned that a number of important electoral and other important democratic reforms have not been completed,”

However, Zimbabwe’s President Mugabe, who is seeking to extend his 33-year rule, told an election campaign rally in the northern town of Chinhoyi that “America must be mad” and “absolutely insane,” and that “for anyone to suggest that [Zimbabwe’s] elections must not be held even after the expiry of the term of parliament, because some party is arguing for reforms of our security forces, is a mad argument, completely.”

Mugabe argued that Zimbabwe would determine its own future and that the US has no moral ground to chastise his regime.

“Keep your pink nose out of our affairs, please . . . where do you get that audacity to open your mouth and try to sermonise us?” questioned Mugabe, alleging racism was rife in the US.

“Your prisons are still full of blacks. Where is your democracy? There is lots of racism in your country.”

He reiterated his decision to bar the US and the European Union from observing the Zimbabwe vote.

“We have already invited well meaning friends. Ill-intentioned friends, we never can invite.”