Robert Mugabe: Zimbabweans remember the 'liberator and oppressor'
- Published
Robert Mugabe divided opinion when he was alive and that has not changed after his death. Zimbabweans are reflecting on the legacy of the man who was their leader for 37 years.
Using the hashtag #RIPMugabe some are hailing him as a hero; a defender of the dignity of black people, while others say he was a liberator who turned oppressor.
A Zimbabwean lawyer, activist and critic of the governing Zanu-PF party, Fadzayi Mahere, reflected the mixed views about Mr Mugabe's legacy.
Allow X content?
This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Some tweeters are focusing on Mr Mugabe's economic legacy which has crippled almost every aspect of life, especially medical care.
Public hospitals have been blighted by mismanagement and corruption, a situation that has resulted in poor care for patients.
Doctors and nurses regularly go on strike over pay.
That Mr Mugabe - a prominent Pan-African who initially greatly expanded Zimbabwe's healthcare - regularly sought treatment in Singapore and died in a foreign land is an irony that has not been lost on many.
Allow X content?
This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Allow X content?
This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Allow X content?
This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Some Zimbabweans are also reflecting on what could have been.
Mr Mugabe took over a country showing great promise in 1980 when he became prime minister. Early on he pledged reconciliation with the white minority and tried to develop Zimbabwe's economy but all his good work floundered as he focussed on a campaign of violently crushing dissent and doing whatever was needed to remain in power.
Allow X content?
This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Allow X content?
This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Allow X content?
This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
To some, however, nothing will sully Mr Mugabe's legacy as a liberator and a fighter against colonial rule and Western governments.
Allow X content?
This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Allow X content?
This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Allow Facebook content?
This article contains content provided by Facebook. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Facebook cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
- Published6 September 2019
- Published6 September 2019
- Published21 November 2017
- Published21 November 2017
