Mugabe claims Zimbabwe cholera crisis contained

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
President Robert Mugabe claimed the cholera crisis that has killed nearly 800 people in Zimbabwe is contained, and his spokesman said his much-criticized remark that there was no cholera was misunderstood, state media reported Friday. Mugabe's comments Thursday drew strong criticism from the United States and Britain; the US ambassador to Zimbabwe said it showed "how out of touch he is with the reality" in Zimbabwe. Friday's Herald newspaper quoted Mugabe's spokesman George Charamaba as saying Mugabe had been sarcastic and wanted to make the point that the crisis was contained. The World Health Organization, though, said Friday that the death toll from the waterborne disease had risen to 792 and that the number of cases had increased to 16,700.