Thousands of government supporters, some wearing clothing adorned with Mugabe's image, converged in Matabeleland on Saturday for a birthday bash and show of strength for the ruling ZANU-PF party, beset by squabbling in the past year as the elderly president weakened and factions, one including his wife Grace, sparred ahead of an expected power vacuum. The government has endured other crises, rejecting decades of opposition and Western allegations about human rights violations, voting irregularities and economic mismanagement. The memory of that episode prompted some anti-government activists to denounce the selection of Matopo Hills for Mugabe's birthday party, though ruling party figures said it will promote tourism in the area. Some ruling party members who support him have criticized Grace Mugabe, a leader in a rival faction who recently said her husband should run as a "corpse" if he dies before the next elections.