At 93 years old Mugabe is Africa oldest leader and has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980. The world perception of Robert Mugabe over the years has varied from a brutal dictator, authoritarian, to sadist and violent. He has been consistently identified as the primary cause of Zimbabwe hyperinflation and poverty. These well-founded sentiments have been geared towards regime change.
A brief history of the dictatorial regime
The colonisation of many African countries brought about political, economic, social, ideological and humanitarian problems. Contrary to many other colonies, Zimbabwe was a settler colony.
This implies a greater emphasis on the establishment and maintenance of political, economic and social structures predicated upon racial Supremacy (Alao, 2012). These ideals left the local populace vulnerable and deprived of a social, political and economic context. In other words, the settlers were fundamentally authoritarian.
Impact of Mugabe's policies on his citizens
Mugabe's policies have supported the country economic declined. The seizure of white-owned farms by his supporters were condemned by the world and some of his citizens. Sanctions were imposed and opposition groups were funded to bring about his demise. Many have intrinsically linked Mugabe and the land expropriation in Zimbabwe to Idi Amin and the Asian expulsion in Uganda.
Militias and state security agencies work to shut down the opposition through repressive and coercive means.
As a consequence, since 1994, the average life expectancy in Zimbabwe dropped from 57 years to 34 years for women and from 54 years to 37 years for men (Coltart, 2008). HIV/AIDS, poverty and malnutrition largely contribute to the death of many Zimbabweans each year.
Zimbabwe recent coup
At the root of Zimbabwe Problems lies Robert Mugabe and a corrupt political elite, sustained by international support. Should we classify the recent disturbance in Zimbabwe as a coup or an attempt to unveil a corrupt administration? Zimbabwe's Major General SB Moyo clearly stated in his speech that Mugabe and his family were safe and sound and their security guaranteed.
He continued by affirming that: "we are targeting criminals around the president who are committing the crimes that are causing social and economic suffering in the country in order to bring them to justice. As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy."
However, the people are not content with empty promises anymore as thousand gathered to demand Mugabe resignation on November 18th 2017. The pre-colonial and colonial past of Zimbabwe has not just shaped its future but appear to be a reflection of the present.
