The Daily Telegraph has been told that Mr Mugabe, who celebrates his 87th birthday today, had undergone a prostate operation in Malaysia last month, however, his spokesman denied the allegations.
The spokesman has confirmed that Mr Mugabe travelled to Singapore for a cataract operation and on Sunday returned from the country following a checkup on the procedure.
His absences from Harare means that cabinet has sat for just two hours in the past two months, and government officials say that documents awaiting his signature are piling up.
“The president’s health has become an issue of public concern and even we as ministers don’t know what exactly is going on,” one minister told The Zimbabwe Independent. “There is need for clarity on this issue in the public interest because it is now beginning to affect government operations.”
In December, Tendai Biti, the finance minister, told a rally that Mr Mugabe was asleep for the “better part” of a two-hour meeting on the budget.