Enos Nkala, one of Zanu-PF's founding fathers and a former minister, has distanced himself from media reports that President Robert Mugabe told him he "wanted to retire".

From our top partners AllAfrica.com

Nkala was quoted in The Standard newspaper as saying that Mugabe told him he fears that if he leaves now, the Zanu-PF will disintegrate and the country degenerate into a possible civil war.

Nkala told Business Day his "comments" were taken out of context by journalists itching to get a scoop, saying " ... when such things come out in the newspapers, it leads to a communication breakdown and loss of confidence in each other.

The interview in The Standard had the former nationalist divulging the details of their surprise meeting, and the one hour-long conversation with Mugabe touched mainly on Zanu-PF succession politics, the inclusive government and the future of the country.

For more visit AllAfrica's report.