I'm not going anywhere and I'm not dying - Mugabe

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has declared that he is not prepared to step down from power nor dying despite his old age, amid growing concern over his health.

Mugabe who was speaking to thousands of his ruling Zanu-PF supporters at a rally held at Chinhoyi University of Technology on Saturday, said he was still fit to continue as president of the southern African country.

There is the issue that the president is going. I am not going," Mugabe told supporters.

The president is dying. I am not dying. I thank God for having lived to this day. I thank God for the good life. I will have an ailment here and there but body-wise, all my internal organs ... very firm, very strong, Mugabe said as he leaned on the lectern.

He said he had followed a strict exercise routine from the years he was imprisoned during the fight against colonial rule in the 1970s, adding that doctors were recently surprised by his "strong bone system".

Recently, doctors were actually surprised by the strength of my bones," Mugabe said.

The remarks comes after his wife Grace Mugabe last week urged him to name his successor.  

Mugabe, who spoke for more than an hour at the rally, now walks with difficulty and sometimes dozes off during meetings. 

According to him, there was no one with his political stature who could immediately take over from him.

Mugabe, 93 has been in charge of the former British colony since independence in 1980. His health is closely watched by Zimbabweans, who fear the country could face chaos if he dies without anointing a successor.

He has frequently travelled to Singapore this year for routine medical treatment, fueling questions about his health with his last visit early this month. 

The issue of who will succeed Mugabe has deeply divided the ruling party, with two factions supporting Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Mugabe's wife Grace.