President Robert Mugabe said on Wednesday that Zimbabwe’s military had rejected British encouragement to stage a coup and warned his government would press ahead with a price blitz that has left shop shelves empty.

Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, also mocked one of his critics, Roman Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube, saying he needed prayers after being sued for adultery on Monday.

The veteran Zimbabwean leader accused London of continuing to seek ways to topple him, suggesting that Britain had tried to encourage a coup in exchange for helping the country, which is mired in a deep political and economic crisis.

“They (the military) have refused to be tempted to go against their own people,” Mugabe told thousands of people at the National Heroes Acre shrine in Harare during the burial of a senior army officer.

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