Durban (South Africa): Zimbabwe's 93-year-old president, Robert Mugabe, sat slumped in his chair, wringing his hands, as he told a panel discussion on Thursday in a low murmur that his country was not a "fragile state".
But he told a panel discussion on "fragile countries" at the World Economic Forum for Africa in the South African city of Durban that Zimbabwe's economy was on the mend.
"Zimbabwe is not a fragile state, it is one of the most highly developed countries, second after South Africa," he said. "You cannot even talk about us as a 'fragile state' from an economic point of view."
He and his party say the economy has been undermined by Western powers.
"This year we will have a bumper harvest. Not just maize, we have cotton and tobacco ... we are not a poor country," Mugabe said.
He is due to lead his ZANU-PF party as its candidate for the next presidential election expected in mid-2018, when he will be 94.
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