Robert Mugabe probably isn’t too happy about this photo

A photo has been taken of Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe – in which he appears to be wearing a wig and earrings.

The snap of the anti-gay leader – taken by a photographer outside South Africa’s Union Building this morning – is angled so that the leader is stood directly in front of a woman whose hair appears above him.

A perspective trick makes it appear that the hair and earrings are attached to his head, as opposed to behind him.

It’s not the first photo of the leader to circulate online in recent months – a snap of the 91-year-old falling over was spread in February, despite the leader’s best efforts to force photographers to delete the footage.

Mr Mugabe can take solace in the fact he’s not the only leader to have an embarrassing photo go viral – after some carelessly-positioned toys upstaged North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a visit to a nursery.

Homosexuality is illegal in Zimbabwe and Mugabe has been a staunch promoter of homophobic persecution since he became President in 1987.

Ahead of his re-election campaign last year he urged for the heads of gay men to be chopped off and said gay people were worse than “pigs, goats and birds”.

Mugabe last year threatened to expel any diplomats who mention homosexuality in Zimbabwe, at a speech after his daughter’s wedding reception.

He said at the time: “Let Europe keep their homosexual nonsense there and live with it. We will never have it here. The act [homosexuality] is not humane.

“Any diplomat who talks about homosexuality will be kicked out. There is no excuse and we won’t listen to them.”

He also said that he ‘pities’ the Queen, for having to deal with Britain’s gay habits.

• Dec 31 2024

Every celebrity who came out as LGBTQ+ in 2024