Former Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe has had his travel and security expenses drastically cut but has been allowed to keep the presidential limo and a wing in State House, a newspaper reports.

Mugabe, who was persuaded to resign last month after a military takeover, has been able to keep his bullet-proof black Mercedes limousine, says the Zimbabwe Independent.

But now the limo is registered with an ordinary yellow number plate – and not the infamous white “Zim 1” plate it used to carry.

Meantime the Zimbabwe Independent says Mugabe travelled to Singapore last week with a drastically-reduced entourage. His wife Grace still insisted on keeping half a dozen bodyguards.

“Mugabe had to compromise by allowing a smaller contingent as well as a smaller security team so that Grace could be allowed to travel with a six-member security team for herself,” a government source told the paper.

“In the past he would have taken over 80 people,” the source added.