Opposition says 'impeach' Mugabe

"There has been a mix-up of speeches resulting in a situation where his excellency the president delivered the wrong speech," presidential spokesman George Charamba said in a statement, which blamed the secretarial office for the blunder.

"The error is sincerely regretted and corrective measures are being considered," the statement read.

Charamba said on Tuesday [September 15, 2015] that the Zimbabwean leader would correct his mistake. Members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party had asked publicly for the president to come to parliament and explain on Wednesday in person what had really happened but the president did not make an appearance.

"If Zimbabwe was a democracy parliament was supposed to go and invoke section 96 of the constitution of Zimbabwe. He should actually be impeached. He is now clearly unable to discharge his duties as head of state," said Obert Gutu, spokesman for the MDC.

Mugabe apparently read the 25-minute speech to the end without realizing that he had delivered the same speech during the state of the nation address a month earlier but Gutu was not convinced.

"You cannot expect him to have gone the same speech for 28 minutes which he read exactly three weeks ago without realizing that he was reading a stale statement. That is indicative of a failing mental faculty," he said.

SMS Threats

MDCchief whip Innocent Gonese alleged that seven opposition lawmakers received SMS text messages on their mobile phones warning them not to disrupt Mugabe's address.

Representatives of President Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, including Parliamentarian Joseph Chinotimba saw nothing wrong with what the Zimbabwean president did on Tuesday.

"What do you want more? What exactly do you want from the president? He is a God-given president. His speech – as an individual and representing my constituency – it has touched my heart. This is the leadership we want. Not what we hear from the opposition. No! This is an excellent president," he said.

But worries about Mugabe's health persist. There have been reports of trips abroad for medical treatments raising questions as to whether he will be fit enough to run for the 2018 election.

President Mugabe has been leading the southern African country since its independence from Britain in 1980. His ZANU-PF party won a significant majority in parliament in 2013 though the main opposition party in the country called the elections "a sham."