By Blessing-Miles Tendi “When I was there, the Zimbabwean army was good. They were disciplined. There was no hint of the army being political. I wrote regular reports for the UK government and do not recall ever writing anything particularly negative about the Zimbabwean army. I do not understand how […]
By Chofamba Sithole A bungled circumcision procedure just before his incarceration at Salisbury Prison in the 1960s left the late nationalist leader and former Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, nursing a swollen and infected penis in jail. The intimate details of the late strongman’s much-rumoured medical condition were revealed by the […]
By Brian Hungwe Both Robert Mugabe and Daniel arap Moi were born in 1924 and both died at the age of 95. They were both involved in anti-colonial politics, though unlike Mugabe, Moi never took up arms. And they both governed former British colonies, with white settler populations, for more […]
By Ray Ndlovu and Njabulo Ncube Robert Mugabe may no longer be president, but vestiges of his rule still remain in Zimbabwe. Two streets in the capital city of Harare and the second-largest city, Bulawayo, are named after him. In early November 2017, the main airport in Harare was renamed […]
In Zimbabwe, a deteriorating economic situation, coupled with renewed repression, is tempting ordinary citizens to think they were better off under Robert Mugabe. Cyril Zenda reports. After the harrowing experience that Zimbabweans went through under Robert Mugabe’s extended misrule, it is unimaginable that anyone can think, let alone suggest, that […]
By Ray Ndlovu Three days before he celebrates his 95th birthday, a picture of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe started being shared on Twitter on Monday. In the picture, Mugabe’s hair appears to have grown far whiter than before he left office in late 2017. He is wearing a crisp […]
The despot of Zimbabwe was ousted in 2017. But much remains of his tyranny and misrule. Reviving a country from the devastation and plunder of a dictator is a daunting challenge for the best intentioned of leaders. Whether it’s possible at all if the successor is a close comrade of […]
Under pressure, the president’s ‘new dispensation’ has reverted to the repressive policies of Robert Mugabe. By Derek Matyszak Ever since he assumed office in 2017, the big question has been whether President Emmerson Mnangagwa could stop Zimbabwe’s economic slide before social unrest erupted in response to biting hardships, driving away […]
Robert Mugabe is gone, but the army remains at the centre of our political life. Until that changes, the violence won’t stop By Fadzayi Mahere Like the fleeting blossom of Jacaranda trees in spring, faith in the government of Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has waned, following another round of state […]
e By Peter Godwin Ten days ago, Zimbabwe’s President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, hiked the price of petrol by 250 per cent, making it the most expensive in the world. There had been an acute fuel shortage for months and this move was supposed to ease the situation — presumably by making […]