Elephant On The Menu For Mugabe's Birthday

Thousands of people have flocked to a lavish birthday party for Zimbabwe's controversial president Robert Mugabe, with two elephants slaughtered for the feast.

Supporters from his ZANU-PF party, many of them wearing party regalia emblazoned with his image, sang and danced as he arrived for the event at a luxury hotel in the Victoria Falls resort.

Assisted by his wife Grace, Mugabe threw 91 balloons into the air.

The party was held on the hotel golf course, with white marquees housing guests.

The first elephant was shot on Thursday and was cut up and passed to party organisers, according to reports in the LA Times and other media. The second was reportedly to be given to members of the community.

Mr Mugabe, who turned 91 last week, was given the animals by game farmer Tendai Musasa, who also donated a lion and a crocodile to be stuffed, and a herd of impala.

Two members of the president's government offered 40 cows for slaughter for the bash.

Speaking to guests in a 90-minute speech, Mugabe criticised the US, which has imposed sanctions on him and Zimbabwe.

"They (the US) can't have it both ways if they want to be friends then they must be friends with us in total and we allow them to have some safaris," he said.

"But they can't say 'allow our people to visit, allow our people to have safaris, to kill our lions and take safari trophies to America,'" Mugabe added.

Africa's longest-serving leader is still viewed with respect by many on the continent after he led Zimbabwe to independence.

However, he is subject to travel bans in the European Union and US.

Mugabe won hotly disputed elections in 2013 and his political standing appears solid, despite the country's economy being in a perilous state.

During his 27-year reign, he has crushed dissent and sparred frequently with the West over his human rights record, casting himself as a champion of post-colonial Africa.

When he initially took power he was seen as promoting reconciliation, but controversial land reforms that forced out white farmers from 2000 onwards drew ire in the West.

Since then, he has increasingly been accused of human rights abuses and vote-rigging as his ZANU-PF party has clung on to power.