Former Prime Minster and President Robert Mugabe died out of ill health in Singapore where he had been receiving treatment.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa broke the news of his death through his official Twitter handle confirming romours of Robert Mugabe’s death.
“It is with the utmost sadness that I announce the passing on of Zimbabwe’s founding father and former President, Cde Robert Mugabe.
“Cde Mugabe was an icon of liberation, a pan-Africanist who dedicated his life to the emancipation and empowerment of his people.
“His contribution to the history of our nation and continent will never be forgotten. May his soul rest eternal peace.”
The late Mugabe who is considered the founding father of Zimbabwe, ruled the South African based state for 37 years between 1980 to 2017.
10 Facts You Should Know About Late Robert Mugabe
- He was born 95 years ago as Robert Gabriel Mugabe on 21 February 1924 at the Kutama Mission village in Southern Rhodesia. His father Gabriel Matibiri was a carpenter while his mum Bona worked as a Christian catechist to the village children . Their family was generally very poor.
- He schooled at Kutama College and the University of Fort Hare before he worked as a school teacher in Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia, and Ghana. Between 1964 and 1974 he was sent to jail by the British government when he joined the African nationalists to denounce colonization
- On his release from jail, he fled to Mozambique where he organized his war team under ZANU to fight the white minority leadership in Zimbabwe. UK and ZANU brokered a deal via the Lancaster House Conference which saw the first general election held in 1980, which Mugabe won with the ZANU-PF party.
- Mugabe was re-elected as a president for 3 times specifically in 2002, 2008, and 2013 through campaigns dominated by violence and electoral fraud . Through this he managed to rule for a total of 37 years while in power
- In 2017, at the age of 93 years old, he was replaced by former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa after his own party ousted him from power.
- For 37 years in power he was accused of being a dictator responsible for economic mismanagement, widespread corruption, anti-white racism, human rights abuses, and crimes against humanity.
- His first wife Sally Mugabe, a Ghanaian died in 1992 from Kidney failure before he married Grace Mugabe in 1996
- Mugabe began dating Grace, his second wife while he was still married to Sally, Grace was then married to Stanley Goreraza- a wing commander in Air force of Zimbabwe. Grace then was working as Mugabe’s secretary.
- Mugabe had a total of 4 kids. There were romours that he had only one testicle or rather half penis after he underwent a surgery on his reproductive system.
- Mugabe was regarded as one of the most learned Presidents with a total of Academic 7 degrees
