Today would’ve been the 99th birthday of Robert Mugabe, the former President of Zimbabwe.
After graduating from the University of Fort Hare, Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa, he began his career as a schoolteacher. Buoyed by the harsh treatment at the hands of the white minority government, Mugabe embraced African nationalism & joined the fight for an independent state with a black majority. His anti-government stance saw him get convicted of sedition and spent a decade behind bars (1964-1974).
Once released from prison, he fled to Mozambique in exile. Once there, he joined the leadership of ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union) and this led to the start of the Rhodesian Bush War against Ian Smith’s white government. After more than 15 years of guerilla warfare, Mugabe and other leaders sat down for the Lancaster House Agreement, which helped end the war and usher Rhodesia into independence.
His party won the 1980 general elections and Mugabe was elected Prime Minister. In 1987, his ZANU party was merged with Joshua Nkomo’s ZAPU and ZANU-PF was born. On December 31, 1987, he became Zimbabwe’s second State President and abolished the office of Prime Minister. The office was reestablished following the 2008 general elections, in which a power sharing agreement allowed the late Morgan Tsvangirai to be Prime Minister. Mugabe’s regime came to an end in November 2017, after being ousted by members of his party. He was replaced by former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mugabe died on 6 Sep 2019 at Gleneagles Hospital in Singapore at the age of 95. He is survived by his second wife Grace, his two sons and a daughter. His state funeral was held at the National Sports Stadium on 14 September 2019. The government had wished to have him buried at Heroes Acre Cemetery but ultimately he was buried in his hometown of Kutama.
It was later revealed that Mugabe agreed to relinquish power after he was promised full diplomatic status and allowed to keep the wealth he had accumulated while in power and a further $10 million in payment.
