Zimbabwe has dismissed reports that President Robert Mugabe was battling for life in a Singapore hospital as "a lot of hogwash", after his absence forced cabinet to postpone this week's meeting.
Zimbabwe's information minister, Webster Shamu, told AFP news agency that this was not the first time that they've heard these rumours.
Shamu says if anything like that had happened, the Zimbabwe government would have issued a statement.
However, he would not disclose the whereabouts of 88 year old Mugabe, who, according to state media, left for Singapore on a private visit more than a week ago to arrange post-graduate studies for his daughter Bona.
Shamu's statement came on the back of a report on the Zimbabwe Mail news website that Mugabe was seriously ill and had agreed to hand over power to defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa.
