Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has described as "great shame" the self-exiled cleric Evan Mawarire after his planned protest against the veteran leader in New York failed last week.

According to the state-owned Sunday Mail newspaper, Mugabe said Mawarire was a "disgrace" for "allowing himself to demonstrate against the country" during the just ended United Nations General Assembly.

Mugabe said this while addressing his Zanu-PF party supporters, who welcomed him on his return from the UN summit.

Massive protests against Mugabe’s rule had been planned on his arrival in the US by the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), together with Mawarire.

However, the plan was met with feisty resistance when a social movement group known as the December 12 gathered at the Zimbabwe UN mission offices in New York to welcome Mugabe whom they praised for providing them with "wise leadership".

"We met with the December 12 and we thanked them for what they did. We never saw Mawarire and his people," Mugabe was quoted as saying.

Mugabe, 92, has been under tremendous pressure lately, with the opposition and social media activists across the globe calling for him to step down.