The future of Mugabe’s presidency is bleak as the people of the republic of Zimbabwe await further instructions from the Military who took control of the nation.
Mugabe, aged 93, has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980 and surely a long tenure is bound to have its shortcomings.
Although to the international community Mugabe seemed a totalitarian and a dictator, the people of Zimbabwe believed in his leadership until recently when he allegedly wanted to endorse his wife Grace Mugabe as his successor.
This is when things started going south.
In his bid to raise his wife to a level high enough to take charge of Zimbabwe, he had to fire Vice President, his most loyal ally.
This turned out to be the worst mistake Robert Gabriel Mugabe ever made.
What has been the journey of Robert Mugabe? Here is a highlight of the same.
- 1924: Born
- Trained as a teacher
- 1964: Imprisoned by Rhodesian government
- 1980: Wins post-independence elections
- 1996: Marries Grace Marufu
- 2000: Loses referendum, pro-Mugabe militias invade white-owned farms and attack opposition supporters
- 2008: Comes second in first round of elections to Tsvangirai who pulls out of run-off amid attacks on his supporters
- 2009: Amid economic collapse, swears in Tsvangirai as prime minister
- 2016: Bond notes introduced as cash shortage worsens
- 2017: Sacks long-time ally Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa
When he began, Mugabe was seen as a revolutionary hero, fighting white minority rule for the freedom of his people – this is why many African leaders remain reluctant to criticize him.
Since Zimbabwe’s independence, most of the world has moved on – but his outlook remains the same.
The heroic socialist forces of Zanu-PF are still fighting the twin evils of capitalism and colonialism.
Any critics have been dismissed as “traitors and sell-outs” – a throwback to the guerrilla war, when such labels could be a death sentence.
He has always blamed Zimbabwe’s economic problems on a plot by Western countries, led by the UK, to oust him because of his seizure of white-owned farms.
His critics firmly blame him, saying he has shown no understanding of how a modern economy works.
He has always concentrated on the question of how to share the national cake, rather than how to make it grow bigger.
Mugabe has always been known to enforce his will come what may.
After he suffered the first electoral defeat of his career, in a 2000 referendum, Mr Mugabe unleashed his personal militia – the self-styled war veterans, backed by the security forces – who used violence and murder as an electoral strategy.
Eight years later, a similar pattern was followed after Mr Mugabe lost the first round of a presidential election to his long-time rival Morgan Tsvangirai.
When needed, all the levers of state – the security forces, civil service, state-owned media – which are mostly controlled by Zanu-PF members, were used in the service of the ruling party.
He professes to be a staunch Catholic, and worshippers at Harare’s Catholic Cathedral were occasionally swamped by security guards when he turned up for Sunday Mass.
However, Mr Mugabe’s beliefs did not prevent him from having two children by Grace, then his secretary, while his popular Ghanaian first wife, Sally, was dying from cancer.
Achievements
He assisted his mother raising children when his father went to Bulawayo.
He was revolutionary hero who fought white minority rule for the freedom of his people.
The expansion of education. Zimbabwe recently had the highest literacy rate in Africa at 90% of the population.
He is also alleged to posses a lot of wisdom and some is expressed in form of very funny quotes flooding the social media. This however has not been confirmed.
The questions lingering in the minds of many is,whether he is a hero or a villain.