Robert Gabriel Mugabe, born February 21, 1924 and died September 6, 2019, was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician. He served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017.
Mugabe was Leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) from 1975 to 1980 and later led its successor political party, ZANU–Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF), from 1980 to in 2017. He initially identified as an African nationalist, then as a Marxist-Leninist in the 1970s and 1980s, and then as a socialist from the 1990 onwards.
File
- Full name: Robert Gabriel Mugabe
- Date of birth: February 21, 1924
- Age: 100 years old (as of 2024)
- male
- Birthplace: Kutama, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)
- Nationality: Zimbabwean
- Occupation: Politician, Revolutionary
- Height: 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
- Parents: Gabriel Mugabe and Bona Mugabe
- Siblings: Michael Mugabe, Sabina Mugabe, Bridgette Mugabe
- Spouse: Sally Mugabe (1958–1992), Grace Mugabe (1996–2019)
- Children: Nhamodzenyika Mugabe, Bona Mugabe, Robert Peter Mugabe Jr., Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe
- Relationship status: Dead
- Net worth: 80 million USD
Early life and education
Robert Gabriel Mugabe was born on 21 February 1924 in Kutama, Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, the third of six children born to Gabriel Mugabe and Bona Mugabe. His father was a carpenter, and his mother was a Christian catechist for village children.
The Jesuits, a Roman Catholic religious order, trained them. Mugabe’s family belonged to the Zezuru clan, a subgroup of the Shona tribe, and his grandfather was chief Constantine Karigamombe.
The Jesuits heavily influenced Mugabe, developing self-discipline and devout Catholic faith. He studied very well but was often ridiculed by other children. The family was expelled from the mission village. After the death of his brothers, Mugabe’s father left to find work.
In 1949, he received a scholarship to study at Fort Hare University in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. There he became involved with the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) and attended African nationalist gatherings.
At these meetings, he met a number of Jewish South African communists who introduced him to Marxist concepts. He graduated from college in 1952 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and English literature.
Personal life
Sally Hayfron, Mugabe’s first wife, has been described as Mugabe’s “only true confidant” and one of the few people who could challenge his ideas without offending him. Their only son, Michael Nhamodzenyika Mugabe, died in 1966 while Sally was working in Ghana and Mugabe was in prison.
Sally is a trained teacher and an independent political activist. Mugabe called her “Amai” (“Mother of the Nation”), but some Zimbabweans were unhappy with her foreign origin. She is also involved in charity activities but is considered corrupt by many. After suffering kidney failure, she had to go to England for dialysis until a machine was sent to Zimbabwe.
While still married to Sally, Mugabe began an affair with his secretary, Grace Marufu, who was 41 years his junior and was married to someone else at the time. They had two children together before Sally’s death in 1992. Mugabe and Marufu later married in a large Catholic ceremony in 1996. As First Lady of Zimbabwe, Grace was known for her love of long-distance travel. flower.
Career
Southern Rhodesia achieved internationally recognized independence on April 18, 1980. Just after midnight, Mugabe was sworn in as the new country’s first Prime Minister. He gave a speech at Salisbury’s Rufaro Stadium, announcing the renaming of Rhodesia to “Zimbabwe” and expressing a commitment to racial reconciliation.
Soames assisted Mugabe in facilitating a smooth transition of power, something Mugabe still appreciated and considered Soames a good friend.
Despite Mugabe’s unsuccessful attempts to persuade Soames to stay in Zimbabwe for a few more years and failed attempts to persuade the United Kingdom to play a “guiding role” for his government led by members ZANU-PF lacked experience in governance, Mugabe formed a national unity government by inviting members of rival parties to join his cabinet.
Across the country, statues of Cecil Rhodes were removed, and squares and streets named after famous colonial figures were renamed after black nationalists.
In 1982, Salisbury was renamed Harare. Mugabe asked North Korean architects to design Heroes’ Acre, a monument and complex in western Harare commemorating the struggle against minority rule.
Zimbabwe also received significant aid from Western countries, as their government hoped that a stable and prosperous Zimbabwe would assist South Africa in escaping apartheid and minority rule. The United States has provided Zimbabwe with a three-year aid package worth $25 million.
At the same time, the UK sponsored a land reform program. It provided military advisors to assist in the integration of former Rhodesian guerrillas and security forces into a new Zimbabwean army. Members of both ZANLA and ZIPRA were incorporated into the new army.
Parliament amended Zimbabwe’s constitution in late 1987. On 30 December, Mugabe was declared Executive President, consolidating the roles of head of state, head of government and commander in chief of the forces armed into a new government. position.
This gives him wide powers, including the ability to dissolve parliament, impose martial law, and run for an unlimited number of terms.
The amendments also eliminated parliamentary seats reserved for white representatives, reducing the relevance and independence of parliament. Before the 1990 election, reforms were implemented to increase the number of seats to 120, with a portion appointed by the President and the Council of Leaders, making it difficult for the opposition to win a majority.
The main opposition party, the Zimbabwe Unity Movement (ZUM), was founded in 1989 by Edgar Tekere, who accused Mugabe of betraying the revolution and establishing a dictatorship. Threats were made to those considering voting for ZUM in the election through ZANU-PF propaganda.
Despite this, Mugabe was re-elected President with a significant majority and ZANU–PF won a majority of seats in parliament. Mugabe had aimed to establish Zimbabwe as a one-party state but postponed these plans in 1990 due to transitions in other countries.
Prize
- Nansen Refugee Award (1988)
- Confucius Peace Prize (2015)
Net value
According to many reliable sources, Robert Mugabe’s net worth was approximately $80 million at the time of his death.
Death
Robert Mugabe died on September 6, 2019, at the age of 95, in Singapore, where he was receiving medical treatment.
Argumentative
On 6 November 2017, Mugabe decisively dismissed his first vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, sparking speculation about Grace’s possible succession.
However, Grace failed to win the favor of ZANU-PF’s traditional supporters. This led to a crucial turning point on November 15, 2017, when the Zimbabwe National Army took action, placing Mugabe under house arrest at his Blue Roof residence.
The operation targeted individuals within Mugabe’s inner circle, labeling them as “criminals.” Then, on 19 November, Mugabe was ousted as Leader of ZANU–PF and Mnangagwa assumed his position. The party issued an ultimatum, giving Mugabe until noon the next day to resign or face impeachment proceedings.
Refusing to resign in a televised speech that same night, Mugabe found himself in the midst of an impeachment resolution tabled by ZANU-PF delegates on 21 November 2017, with support from the MDC -T. According to the constitution, a two-thirds majority from the House and Senate in a joint session is required to remove a president from office.
However, with support from both major parties controlling a majority of seats, Mugabe’s impeachment and subsequent removal from office seemed imminent. As discussions took place in a joint session, Mugabe chose a different path, submitting his resignation letter which was read aloud by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Before resigning, Mugabe and his wife negotiated terms that guaranteed immunity from prosecution, protection of their business interests, and a substantial payout of no less than $10 million. In July 2018, the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe upheld Mugabe’s resignation as voluntary despite his subsequent comments.
Social Media
- Instagram: Not applicable
- Twitter: Not applicable
Book
- Our war of liberation (1983)
- Challenges for social movements in post-Mugabe Zimbabwe
- Robert Mugabe on aspects of Zimbabwe’s domestic and foreign policy (1981)
