Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe has celebrated his 91st birthday with a million dollar party at a luxury hotel at Victoria Falls.

20,000 people are said to have been invited to the lavish ceremony. Two young elephants and a herd of impala were reportedly slaughtered for the feast.

The opposition has called the spending 'obscene'.

AFP quotes a 90 minute speech at the gathering from Mr Mugabe that attacked the US for sanctions against his country.

"They (the US) can't have it both ways if they want to be friends then they must be friends with us in total and we allow them to have some safaris," he said. "But they can't say 'allow our people to visit, allow our people to have safaris, to kill our lions and take safari trophies to America,"

Last week a spokesperson for the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change said "all the money that has been collected to bankroll this obscene jamboree should be immediately channelled towards rehabilitating the collapsed public hospitals, clinics and rural schools in Matabeleland North province".