CHINHOYI, ZIMBABWE:  Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe said on Saturday he was not stepping down nor dying and that there was no one with his political stature who could immediately take over from him.

The 93-year-old leader has been at the helm of the former British colony since independence in 1980 and his health is closely watched by Zimbabweans who fear the country could face chaos if he dies without anointing a successor.

Mugabe told tens of thousands of supporters at a rally in the town of Chinhoyi, which is in his home province, that doctors were recently surprised by his "strong bone system."