Robert Gabriel Mugabe

Born on the 21st of February 1924, Robert Gabriel Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe for nearly three decades. He played a key role in Zimbabwe’s independence struggle and bringing an end to British colonial rule.

He came into power in 1980 as the prime minister of a newly formed Zimbabwe whose independence was internationally recognized on April 18, 1980. In 1987 he went on to become the President of Zimbabwe and has been at the helm since them. Some of his re-election campaigns were not without controversy as there were claims of vote rigging and intimidation. Elections are due to be held in 2008 and it will be interesting to see if Mugabe will continue on as the president.

He went to great lengths to build up Zimbabwe which seemed to be going well for a while. Having trained as a teacher he knows the importance of education and has/had been committed to improving schools for all Zimbabweans. As a result of this, a large number of Zimbabweans are educated and realize the importance of it. Kim Jong-il, Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez

Zimbabwe was seen as the bread basket of Africa with people wanting to be in and not out of Zimbabwe. A number of people have attributed the fall of the nation to Mugabe’s governance. Mugabe has pointed fingers at the West for various problems that the nation is facing. He is known for his attacks on the West and has fostered relationships with leaders of nations who are at odds with the West such a Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, just to name a few. He has even managed to have his name included amongst the world’s worst dictators.

Despite what a lot of people think about Mugabe, he still has a lot of support and he is still going strong for his age. How much longer he will be around for is anyone’s guess. There is so much that can be said about Mugabe. A lot of what is said about him is that he is the cause of everything that is happening to Zimbabwe. If he is indeed the cause for Zimbabwe’s collapse is there a way that he can start to rebuild it or will a fresh new government have to be put in place to carry out this task?