Robert Mugabe is not asleep, he’s just resting his eyes, Zimbabwe presidential spokesman says

If you happen to spot Robert Mugabe with his eyes closed for long periods during a high-level meeting, don’t worry. According to the 93-year-old’s spokesman, the longtime president of Zimbabwe is not sleeping - he’s simply resting his eyes.

In an interview with the state-run Herald newspaper published Thursday, the spokesman, George Charamba, said he “felt like a failure when there is this reading that the President is sleeping in conferences.”

“At 93, there is something that happens to the eyes and the President cannot suffer bright lights,” Charamba said. “If you look at his poise, he looks down, avoids direct lighting.”

Mugabe has led Zimbabwe since 1980. Initially lauded as a freedom fighter, his reputation has suffered over the years, and the international community today largely views him as a fervent critic of the West who courts controversy with his autocratic ways. Despite his unwillingness to relinquish power, there have been widespread rumours in recent years that Mugabe’s health is failing. The rumours have been compounded by his frequent trips to Singapore, where he was said to be receiving medical treatment.

Images of Mugabe seemingly asleep at meetings have become the butt of jokes in independent media critical of the strongman. At a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Durban, South Africa, this month, the Zimbabwean leader was photographed slumped against the chair with his eyes closed at more than one point.