Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's first post-independence leader, has died aged 95
6-09-2019, 18:26

Font size: [ A+ ] / [ A- ]

 

Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's first post-independence leader, has died aged 95.

His family confirmed his death to the BBC. Mr Mugabe had been receiving treatment in a hospital in Singapore since April.

He was ousted in a military coup in 2017 after 37 years in power.

Mr Mugabe's early years were praised for broadening access to health and education for the black majority - but his later years were marked by rights abuses and corruption.

He won Zimbabwe's first election after it secured independence from the UK, becoming prime minister in 1980.

He abolished the office in 1987, becoming president instead.

His successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa, expressed his "utmost sadness", calling Mr Mugabe "an icon of liberation".

Mr Mnangagwa had been Mr Mugabe's deputy before replacing him.

Who was Robert Mugabe?

Mr Mugabe was born on 21 February 1924 in what was then Rhodesia - a British colony, run by its white minority.

He was imprisoned for more than a decade without trial after criticising the government of Rhodesia in 1964.

n 1973, while still in prison, he was chosen as president of the Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu), of which he was a founding member.

Once released, he headed to Mozambique, from where he directed guerrilla raids into Rhodesia. But he was also seen as a skilled negotiator.

Political agreements to end the crisis resulted in the new independent Republic of Zimbabwe.

With his high profile in the independence movement, Mr Mugabe secured an overwhelming victory in the republic's first election.

But over his decades in power, international perceptions soured, with an increasing number of critics portraying Mr Mugabe as a kind of dictator.

In 2000, facing serious political opposition for the first time, he seized white-owned farms to resettle black farmers, causing economic disruption but boosting his popularity among supporters.

Around the same time, pro-Mugabe militias used violence to influence political outcomes. In 2008, when he lost the first round of the presidential election, attacks on the opposition resulted in his rival pulling out of the contest.

He famously declared that only god could remove him from office.

He was forced into sharing power in 2009 amid economic collapse, installing rival Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister.

But in 2017, amid concerns that he was grooming his wife Grace as his successor, the army - his long-time ally - turned against the president and forced him to step down.

What has the reaction been?

Deputy Information Minister Energy Mutodi, of Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, told the BBC the party was "very much saddened" by his death.

"As a government, we are very much with the family members of the Mugabe family," he said.

"He was a principled man: he could not change easily over his beliefs. He's a man who believed himself, he's a man who believed in what he did and he is a man who was very assertive in whatever he said.

"This was a good man."

Not everyone agreed, however.

Zimbabwean Senator David Coltart, who was once labelled "an enemy of the state" by Mr Mugabe, said his legacy was marred by his adherence to violence as a political tool.

"He was always committed to violence, going all the way back to the 1960s... he was no Martin Luther King," he told the BBC World Service. "He never changed in that regard."

But he acknowledged that there was another side to Robert Mugabe - "a man who indeed had a great passion for education - and I think he mellowed in his later years.

"There's a lot of affection towards him, because we must never forget that he was the person primarily responsible for ending oppressive white minority rule."

The government of neighbouring South Africa tweeted its condolences, labelling Mr Mugabe "a fearless pan-Africanist liberation fighter".

The BBC's Shingai Nyoka, in the capital Harare, said Mr Mugabe was likely to be remembered for his early achievements.

In his later years, people had called him all sorts of names, but now is probably the time when Zimbabweans will think back to his 37 years in power, she said.

There's a saying here - that whoever dies becomes a hero, and we're likely to see that now, our correspondent adds.


Robert Mugabe - key dates

1924: Born. Later trains 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 following nationwide attacks on his supporters

2009: Amid economic collapse, swears in Tsvangirai as prime minister, who serves in uneasy government of national unity for four years

2017: Sacks long-time ally Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, paving the way for his wife Grace to succeed him

November 2017: Army intervenes and forces him to step down

 

BBC.COM

 

Comments: 45787
#32507   Olivia
      
weitz and luxenberg mesothelioma settlements [yh4bv4aa054l7d.com]
17 October 2023 15:10
#32506   Tilly
      
%%

My homepage :: Mouth
Fleshlight
17 October 2023 15:10
#32505   Verna
      
mesothelioma lawyer asbestos cancer lawsuit, Camilla,

%%

my homepage Headphones Gaming
17 October 2023 15:10
#32504   Steve
      
%%

Here is my website double Ended Dildo
17 October 2023 15:05
#32503   Geneva
      
%%

Here is my site - become a
rep For a company
17 October 2023 15:04
#32502   Sharon
      
https://www.Abbeykirk.top/, Https://utahsyardsale.Com/,
17 October 2023 15:04
#32501   Brett
      
www.alexia.top - Ginger -
17 October 2023 15:03
#32500   Leona
      
%%

Also visit my website Best Broad Spectrum Cbd Oil
17 October 2023 15:03
#32499   Breanna
      
%%

My blog post - list of adhd symptoms in females (Stephen)
17 October 2023 15:00
#32498   Hester
      
%%

my page become An avon representative (heungil.net)
17 October 2023 14:59
#32497   Opal
      
pleural asbestosis treatment for mesothelioma symptoms clonedsgn (https://www.divephotoguide.com/user/cheesehip4)
17 October 2023 14:59
#32496   Rosita
      
17 October 2023 14:58
#32495   Brenna
      
%%

Look into my site :: asbestos settlement (Alexandria)
17 October 2023 14:57
#32494   Tamela
      
%%

Here is my homepage Truck keys cut near me (www.koreafurniture.com)
17 October 2023 14:57
#32493   Mozelle
      
%%

Feel free to visit my web-site :: how to become an avon representative - Bernadine -
17 October 2023 14:55
#32492   Cedric
      
І used to be suggested thіѕ bⅼog throuցh my cousіn. I aam now nott poѕitive whether this post is written by
way of him as nobody eⅼse understand suсh specified ɑpproximately my troublе.
Үou're іncredible! Ꭲhank you!

Hеre is my website recɑptcha v2 іnvisible bʏpass (Agnes)
17 October 2023 14:53
#32491   Latia
      
%%

Also visit my blog; seo services
Agency
17 October 2023 14:51
#32490   Thurman
      
%%

my homepage: Gsa Ser
backlinks
17 October 2023 14:51
#32489   Jaclyn
      
%%

Feel free to visit my web blog - loft
17 October 2023 14:50
#32488   Magda
      
%%

Look at my web page - csgo Cases explained; bubinmaster.co.kr,
17 October 2023 14:47
Add Comments

Name:*
E-Mail:
  Geo Keyboard  
 

Dear reader, guardian.ge welcomes your comments. Please express your views on topic and be respectful of others.

bold italic underline strike | align left centered align right | Ensert smilies insert linkInsert protected URL Choice the color | hidden text insert quote Convert selected text from transliteration to Cyrillic alphabet Insert spoiler

Code: *