Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe (Southern Rhodesia, February 21, 1924-Singapore, September 6, 2019) was a Zimbabwean politician, soldier and dictator, Prime Minister of his country between 1980 and 1987 and maximum leader of this between 1987 and 2017.
His initial prestige as a hero of Zimbabwe's independence in 1980 gradually transformed into discontent over his alleged responsibility for the country's economic crisis, with inflation that exceeded 14,000,000% per year, and due to accusations of electoral fraud and repression against his opponents. However, the 2013 elections were considered by African Union election observers to be "free, honest and credible". Furthermore, according to a 2015 poll, the majority of Zimbabweans supported Mugabe.
One of the events that marked his rise to power was the Gukurahundi. This was a campaign of state terror and ethnic cleansing carried out between 1982 and 1987 where more than 10,000 Ndebele civilians (particularly ZAPU sympathizers) were killed.
During the years of his presidency, like many other countries around him, Zimbabwe experienced a population explosion. Thus, when Mugabe became prime minister in 1980, Zimbabwe had a population of about 7,289,083. In 1987, during his rise to the presidency, the country had 9,535,657 inhabitants. After 30 years in power, at the time of his overthrow in November 2017, Mugabe left Zimbabwe with a population of 16,337,760.
Under his rule, Zimbabwe experienced severe hyperinflation and high rates of unemployment and poverty. On November 15, 2017, he was placed under house arrest by the Zimbabwean army in the midst of a coup led by the head of the Army, General Constantino Chiwenga. On November 19, he was removed as leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and replaced provisionally by former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The party also expelled several of its affiliates, as well as first lady Grace Mugabe.On November 21, he resigned as president.
Biography
Early years and teaching career
Robert Mugabe was born on February 21, 1924 near the Jesuit mission of Kutama, in the Zvimmba district, northwest of Salisbury (present-day Harare), in the British colony of Southern Rhodesia. His father, Gabriel Matibili, of Malawi origin, along with Bona Mugabe, professed Catholicism. Mugabe was the third of six children. He had two older brothers, who died while he was still very young. His father, a carpenter by trade, left the family in 1934, after the death of his older brother, Michael, when he went to Bulawayo in search of work.
He received his primary and secondary education at the Empandeni Missionary School, from which at the age of 17 he trained as a primary teacher, performing this role in various schools in Southern Rhodesia. In 1948 he traveled to South Africa to further his studies. He graduated with a BA from Fort Hare University in 1951. In 1952, he continued his teaching career at other Christian schools, where he met his first wife, while working in Accra, Ghana. Later, he studied Economics at the University of London.
Military and political career
Journey to Zimbabwe's independence
In 1960 he returned to Southern Rhodesia and joined the ranks of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), to fight against the white minority-dominated regime in the de facto independent country. of Great Britain and was not recognized internationally. On two occasions he was arrested, the first between September and December 1962, and another between March and April 1963, where he managed to escape to Tanzania, where, together with Reverend Ndabaningi Shitole, they founded the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU)., in which Mugabe served as Secretary General, and they took a more radical position than that of ZAPU. At the end of that same year, he returned to Southern Rhodesia clandestinely, but was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison, where he obtained his law degree from the University of London, through a correspondence course. remained in prison, Southern Rhodesia gains its independence, but comes under a white government, led by Ian Smith.
After serving his sentence, Mugabe moved to Mozambique, where he assumed the presidency of ZANU while Shitole was expelled, after he showed a moderate position towards the party's program. From then on, Mugabe created an arm armed with the party, the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), in which guerrilla actions will be taken throughout the country; during its existence, it is sponsored militarily by China and North Korea. Little by little, Mugabe was making himself known by the inhabitants of his country, in which his intransigence was characterized, but at the same time, as a highly intelligent person, and with an enormous devotion to the Christian faith.
In 1976, they allied with the Patriotic Front (PF), recognized for carrying out various sabotage missions and attacks against the Smith regime and his adviser, Abel Musorewa, giving way to the creation of the current ZANU-PF. On March 3, 1978, Smith, Musorewa and a moderate politician named Jeremiah Chirau carried out the Salisbury Agreement, which consisted of Smith transferring power to the black population, which represented 95% of the population., which, however, Mugabe opposed, since the agreement also had the intention of weakening his image and that of the PF, for which reason they established relations with the Organization for African Unity (OAU) and the Non-Aligned Movement (MNA), in order to negotiate true independence. Terms were discussed at Lancaster House, London, on 10 September 1979, where the principle of ''one man, one vote'' was given. > and that there would be no advantage to the Zimbabwean white minority. Finally, the agreements concluded on December 12, ending white rule over the country and opening up democratic elections.
However, these elections were not entirely fair, because it was established that one fifth of Parliament was reserved for the white minority. Even so, ZANU-PF managed to keep 57 of the 80 seats in Parliament, and Mugabe is elected Prime Minister, after obtaining 62.9% of the vote, while Canaan Banana assumed the presidency of the country.
Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (1980-1987)
From the beginning, Mugabe sought to establish good relations with the white minority, because a large percentage of them had technical and professional training, and if they left, they could generate economic instability in the country, especially in the field agriculture, which is one of the main economic sources of the country, and which were being administered by the white population. He in turn, he agreed with London, the permanence of a multiparty parliamentary system that would be valid for a minimum of 10 years.
In 1992, a World Bank study indicated that more than 500 health centers had been built since 1980. The percentage of children vaccinated increased from 25% in 1980 to 67% in 1988, and life expectancy increased from 55 to 59 years. Enrollment increased by 232% one year after primary education became free, and secondary school enrollment increased by 33% in two years. These social policies lead to an increase in the debt ratio.
Several laws were passed in the 1980s in an attempt to reduce the wage gap. However, the differences are still considerable. In 1988, the law gave women, at least in theory, the same rights as men. Previously, they could only take a few personal initiatives without the consent of their father or husband.
Civil war and ethnic cleansing (1981-1984)
However, while establishing good relations with the white population, Mugabe and his supporters were pursuing a tribalist policy to ensure the power of the black population in the country, thereby inciting ethnic hostilities among the Shona tribes. and ndebels. On the other hand, strong discussions were also taking place between Mugabe and his former party, ZAPU, which was being led by the then Interior Minister, Joshua Nkomo, to the point that supporters of both politicians clashed in the city of Bulawayo., where Nkomo is defeated and loses his position as minister. However, in February 1981, the ZAPU defected from the Zimbabwe Armed Forces (FAZ) and settled in Matabebeland, located in the western part of the country, giving way to a civil war. In it, Mugabe orders the crushing of the ZAPU, which after numerous clashes, acts of sabotage and ambushes, managed to weaken the party. But during the war, ethnic cleansing operations, led by ethnic Shona military, were also carried out against hundreds of Ndebel villages, causing the deaths of between 10,000 and 30,000 civilians. The war ended on December 22, 1987, after Nkomo and the ZAPU offered to surrender and Mugabe ordered the annexation of the already weakened ZAPU to the ZANU-PF, giving it greater political power in the country.
Rise to the presidency
After the law that reserved a fifth of Parliament for the white minority was suppressed, Mugabe took advantage of the instance to carry out a constitutional reform, in which Zimbabwe was adopted as a presidential republic, granting it strong powers to the executive, increase the number of parliamentarians from 80 to 150, the abolition of the position of Prime Minister, and the ability of the executive to appoint 12 deputies at its own disposal. On December 31, 1987, and after acquiring enormous influence and power, Mugabe assumes the Presidency of Zimbabwe, by Parliament, succeeding Banana from power.
President of Zimbabwe (1987-2017)
In his early years of rule, he sought cooperation with the People's Republic of China and encouraged British-born farmers to stay in the country, making Zimbabwe one of the largest agricultural producers in all of Africa, both of cereals as well as tobacco, of which it was a great exporter. In addition, he drastically reduced illiteracy to less than 10% and achieved high economic growth for his country. In 1990 he renounced turning his regime into a one-party Marxist, opting to maintain the multi-party system, although changing the semi-presidential system for a presidential one.
Starting in 1991, Harare had to give in to structural adjustment, already imposed on a large number of African countries. In the late 1990s, the economy began to decline. In February 2000, former Zimbabwean fighters in the war against the racist regime launched an occupation of the properties of white farmers, who still hold most of the best land in the country, when in fact their repossession it had been the main claim of the struggle for independence. Mugabe was forced to face a highly deteriorated social and economic situation, promoting land reform, which resulted in an economic blockade by the United States and the European Union.
In the 2002 elections he was elected again, this time with 56.2% of the vote against 41.9% for his main rival, Morgan Tsvangirai. However, these elections were denounced as fraudulent by the opposition.
The 2008 elections gave Mugabe the winner again. Data from the Zimbabwe Election Commission indicates that the opposition Democratic Movement for Change defeated ZANU-PF in the first round. Opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai won 47.9% of the vote, compared to President Mugabe's 43%. The government called a second electoral contest, but the opposition refused to participate due to the climate of repression that existed within the country, leaving the way paved for the re-election of Mugabe, who was sworn in as president for the sixth time on 29 February. June 2008. The 2013 general elections gave Mugabe the winner with 61% of the vote.
Economic crisis
In the 1990s, the economic situation deteriorated significantly under the weight of international sanctions, leading the regime to accept a policy of "structural readjustment" advocated by international financial institutions.
In 2008 annual inflation was estimated at 10,000% per year. To round off the situation, the unemployment rate was around 80% of the adult population. The government measures had consisted of the maximum regulation of prices, which led to the closure of companies, and the arrest, fine or imprisonment of thousands of businessmen. In 2008, the official figures showed 160,000% inflation. Since then, the bills offer their value in millions of dollars. The bills are not such, actually, but payment mechanisms with expiration (the date on which its value expires is written on each bill, a few months later). In the midst of the post-election crisis, the government launched the new Zimbabwean $250 billion banknotes. This situation of monetary insecurity has encouraged a return to the barter system and the appearance of an important black market.
On February 21, 2009, at a time when Zimbabwe was going through the worst social, economic and health crisis in its history, its long-serving president, Robert Mugabe, celebrated his birthday along with thousands of supporters in a lavish party that aroused unanimous critics. The lavish menu for the party, which reportedly cost more than $250,000, included champagne, cognac, lobster, caviar and duck. The party coincided with Zimbabwe's appeal to other African nations for $2 billion to restore the country's health, education and water systems.[citation needed]
On February 21, 2014, Robert Mugabe turned 90. Again, his lavish celebration generated criticism and new arguments for his detractors.
Violence against the LGBT community
Throughout his presidency, Mugabe repeatedly spoke out against the LGBT community and homosexuality in general. In 1995 he expressed:
I find extremely scandalous and repulsive to my human conscience that immoral and repulsive organizations, such as those of homosexuals, which offend the natural laws and morals of religious beliefs advocated by our society, should have defenders in our land or anywhere else in the world.Robert Mugabe
That same year, during the celebrations for the country's independence, he referred to homosexuality, noting that:
It degrades human dignity. It is not natural, and it is not in question to allow these people to behave worse than dogs and pigs. If dogs and pigs don't, why do humans? We have our own culture and we must commit ourselves to our traditional values that make us human beings. We are asked to accept subanimal behavior, but here we will never allow it. If you see people acting like lesbians and gays, arrest them and give them to the police!Robert Mugabe
Since then, Mugabe has increased political repression against the LGBT community, relying on national anti-sodomy laws. He blamed gays for many of the problems Zimbabwe faced, remarking that homosexuality was an "immoral and non-African culture" brought over by settlers and practiced only by "a few whites". According to one Reuters agency note, Mugabe would use the LGBT community as a scapegoat to divert attention from the economic crisis facing the country. To do this, he would use journalists, generally from state media, who publish homophobic stories or anti-gay rhetoric.
In 2013, during a political rally, he declared that "The Church says that homosexuality is an abomination. It is even in our own culture. Men who engage in such practices deserve to be castrated,' adding that "if it were up to me, I would make sure they go straight to hell and rot."
International relations
In the Western world, the human rights situation in black-ruled states has often been considered a taboo subject, especially in the 1980s, when news priority was given to the fight against apartheid in South Africa. When it became known that Mugabe had launched a campaign of purges and state terror (the Gukurahundi), attempts were made to justify it as a response to the threat of a coup d'etat by his ZAPU rivals.
During his administration, Mugabe had the support of the governments of China, Venezuela, and Gabon. China tried to sell arms to the Mugabe government, but no country opened its coasts to the ship that brought them.
On the other hand, the United States and the United Kingdom promoted sanctions against the Mugabe government, which they considered illegitimate. On June 27, 2008, Javier Solana, head of European diplomacy, declared that the results of the second round of the 2008 elections could not be considered legitimate, since the people had been denied the possibility of choosing freely.
In a February 2012 public statement, he told British Prime Minister David Cameron that he could "go to hell" after he asked for his approval and absolute freedom towards homosexuals.
Coup of 2017
On November 6, 2017, Mugabe, 93, ousted his first vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa (who was once the head of the political police and is accused of committing heinous crimes), in order to prepare his wife Grace as its successor; Mnangagwa went into exile in South Africa where he assured that he would soon control power. On November 13 the head of the army, General Constantino Chiwenga, warned President Mugabe to intervene if he went ahead with the purge of veteran leaders of his party in government and the army.
In the afternoon and evening of November 14, Zimbabwean troops occupied Harare.
In the early morning of November 15 Mugabe and his wife were detained, Finance Minister Ignatious Chombo was also detained. Former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa returned to Zimbabwe and took control of the country as interim president.
Life after the presidency
After his overthrow, Mugabe enjoyed full immunity and a luxurious life, residing in his Harare mansion. Despite this, Mugabe declared on 15 March 2018 that he had been overthrown in a "coup de status" that he had to get rid of. He claimed that he would not work with Mnangagwa and called his presidency "illegal". and "unconstitutional". In the 2018 general election Mugabe supported opposition candidate Nelson Chamisa.
He suffered from health problems soon after, receiving medical treatment in Singapore for two months. She also lost the ability to walk.
Death
On September 6, 2019, Mugabe died at the age of 95 in a Singapore hospital. The announcement was confirmed by Emmerson Mnangagwa himself, who mourned his death and declared the former president a national hero.
Personal life
Mugabe was of average height, standing just over 170cm tall, displaying what his biographer David Blair describes as "curious, effeminate mannerisms". Mugabe was careful about his appearance, typically wearing a three-piece suit, and insisted that members of his cabinet dress similarly, in English style. Upon seizing power in 1980, Mugabe's hallmark was his thick-rimmed glasses, he was also recognized for his little mustache. Unlike other African leaders, Mugabe did not seek to romanticize his childhood. He was a teetotaler and never smoked or drank alcohol, and—according to his early biographers David Smith and Colin Simpson—has "a huge affection for children". During his early years he had an operation on his genitals that generated rumors that he only had one testicle or half of his penis; such rumors were used by his opponents to ridicule him and by his supporters to reinforce the claim that he was willing to make severe sacrifices for the revolutionary cause.
Mugabe was fluent in English with an adopted British accent when he spoke a few words. He was also a fan of the English game of cricket, stating that "cricket civilizes people and makes good gentlemen". David Blair noted that this cultivation of British traits suggests that Mugabe respected and perhaps admired the United Kingdom while, at the same time, resenting and hating the country. Holland suggested that these Anglophile traits emerged early in his life, as Mugabe—who had long suffered from the anti-black racism of Rhodesian society—"he took on English as an antidote" to "self-hatred" induced by social racism.
Academic Blessing-Miles Tendi stated that Mugabe was "an extremely complex figure, not easy to capture in conventional categories". Similarly, David Blair described him as an "unusually complex". Smith and Simpson noted that the Zimbabwean leader had been "a serious young man, rather lonely, diligent, industrious, a voracious reader who used every minute of his time, not much given to laughter: but above all, determined". Blair commented that [Mugabe's] "self-discipline, intelligence and appetite for hard work are remarkable", adding that his "main characteristics" they were 'ruthlessness and resilience'. Blair argued that Mugabe shared many character traits with Ian Smith, stating that they were both 'proud, brave, stubborn, charismatic, gullible fantasists.'
Meredith described Mugabe as having "soft-spoken manners,... broad intellect, and... eloquent manners", all of which disguised his "hardened and determined ambition". Ndlovu-Gatsheni characterized him as "one of the most charismatic African leaders", noting that he was "very eloquent" and able to make 'good speeches' Jonathan Moyo, who briefly served as Mugabe's information minister before distancing himself from him, stating that the president could 'express himself very well', which is the big strength of him & # 34;. Tendi claimed that although he had a natural wit, Mugabe often hid this behind a "pensive and austere external appearance and his taste for ceremony and tradition". Heidi Holland suggested that because of his upbringing " 34;dysfunctional", Mugabe had a "fragile self-image," describing him as "a man detached from his feelings, devoid of ordinary humanity and warmth". According to her, Mugabe has a "marked emotional immaturity", and was a homophobic, as well as a racist and a xenophobe.
According to Meredith, Mugabe presented himself as "eloquent, thoughtful and conciliatory" after his 1980 election victory, Blair noted that at this period in his career, Mugabe displayed "genuine magnanimity and moral courage"; despite his & # 34; intense personal reasons for feeling bitterness and hatred & # 34; towards members of the former regime. After dealing with Mugabe during the 1979 negotiations, Michael Pallister, head of Britain's Foreign Office, described Mugabe as possessing "very sharp, sometimes quite aggressive, and disagreeable ways" #34;. British diplomat Peter Longworth stated that in private, Mugabe was "very charming and very eloquent and not lacking in humour. It's hard to equate the man you know with the one who rants on TV." Norman stated that "I always found him pleasant and honest in his dealings. He also had a warm side that I saw clearly at times.
Colin Legum, a journalist with The Observer, argued that Mugabe had a "paranoid personality," in the sense that although he does not suffer from clinical paranoia, he behaves in paranoid ways. when placed under sustained and severe pressure. Mugabe biographer Andrew Norman suggested that the leader may have suffered from antisocial personality disorder. Several Mugabe biographers have noted that he had an obsession with hoarding power. According to Meredith, "power for Mugabe was not a means to an end, but the end itself." Conversely, Onslow and Redding suggested that Mugabe's lust for power arose from "personal and ideological reasons" and his belief in the illegitimacy of his political opposition Denis Norman, a white politician who was in Mugabe's cabinet for many years, commented that "Mugabe is not a showy man driven by wealth but enjoy the power. That has always been his motivation & # 34;.
The president had been hospitalized since April 2019.
Married couples and children
According to Holland, Mugabe's first wife, Sally Hayfron, was "confidante and the only real friend" of Mugabe, being "one of the few people who could challenge Mugabe's ideas without offending him".
Their only child, Michael Nhamodzenyika Mugabe, born September 27, 1963, died December 26, 1966 of cerebral malaria in Ghana, where Sally was working while Mugabe was in prison. Mugabe's Sally Hayfron was a teacher who affirmed her position as an independent political activist.
Mugabe asked Zimbabwean media to refer to his wife as "Amai" ("Mother of the Nation"), though many Zimbabweans are upset that she was a foreigner. She was appointed as the head of the ZANU-PF women's league, and was implicated in various operations charity, although she was widely regarded as corrupt in these dealings. During Mugabe's premiership she suffered from kidney failure, and initially had to travel to the UK for dialysis until Soames arranged for a dialysis machine to be sent to Zimbabwe..
Still married to Hayfron, in 1987 Mugabe began an extramarital affair with his secretary, Grace Marufu; she was 41 years younger than him and was married to Stanley Goreraza at the time. In 1988 she gave birth to a daughter, Bona, and a son, Robert, in 1990. The relationship was hidden from the Zimbabwean public, although Hayfron knew about it. According to his niece Patricia Bekele, to whom he was particularly close, Hayfron was not happy that Mugabe was having an affair with Marufu but "did what she used to tell me to do: 'Talk to your pillow if you have problems in your marriage. Never, ever humiliate your husband.' Her motto was to carry on with grace.” Hayfron died in 1992 of chronic kidney disease.
Following Hayfron's death in 1992, Mugabe and Marufu were married in a grand Catholic wedding ceremony in August 1996. As the First Lady of Zimbabwe, Grace gained a reputation for liking luxury, with a particular interest in shopping for clothing and jewelry. This luxurious shopping spree has led to her being nicknamed 'Gucci Grace'. She also has notorious for being corrupt. In 1997, Grace Mugabe gave birth to the couple's third child, Chatunga Bellarmine.
Robert Mugabe Junior and his younger brother, Chatunga Bellarmine are known for posting about their lavish lifestyle on social media, which has led to accusations from Tendai Biti that they are wasting Zimbabwean taxpayers' money.
Awards
- 1989: Jawaharlal Nehru Award