Robert Mugabe is dead. Whether he will ever be missed by Zimbabweans and Africa is one thing we may never come to ascertain quickly. I know that many Africans, including those that are not of South African descent don’t ever feel ashamed to talk about Nelson Mandela anywhere they find themselves in the world. The reason is because Nelson Mandela lived a life worthy of emulation when it comes to leadership, and left behind memorable legacies that each and every African don’t feel ashamed to talk about.
Mandela was a freedom fighter, a true hero of democracy, and one who believes in the realization of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of this continent. Although, Nelson Mandela passed away in 2013 at the age of 95, many Africans still hold the believe that he was one of the few African leaders whose life and deeds have impacted the continent in a beautiful and an unforgettable way. His beliefs about the realization of the unity of Africa is yet to manifest, even six years after his demise.
Xenophobia, disunity and lack of cooperation among many African countries still exists today and this have hindered the continent from making the necessary progress. The recent Xenophobia killings in South Africa speaks volume of the amount of hatred that Africans have against their fellow Africans, and no thanks to bad leadership, corruption and lack of direction that is bedevilling many African leaders today.
Robert Mugabe ruled for 37 years, until he was forced out by the military. Mugabe was first generally recognised as a liberator who rid the former British colony Rhodesia of white minority rule. But many never applauded his repressive style of governance until he was finally ousted by his previously loyal generals in November of 2017. Scores of people across the continent saw Mugabe as a tyrant who oversaw the decline of Zimbabwe, one of Africa’s most prosperous nations. With close to four decades of autocratic and tyrannical regime, Mugabe failed to toe the path of honour by stepping aside.
The country he oversaw for almost forty years was on a downward spiral which was characterised by widespread unemployment, hyperinflation, hunger and disease. Robert Mugabe blamed those problems and more on a long list of detractors, foreign and domestic, while depicting himself as a stressed African superman. He imagined an unreasonable vision of a major plan, led by white farmers and businessmen and their black political puppets and funded by evil governments in London and Washington.
In talking of honour, few past African leaders have toed this path and Nelson Mandela tops the list. He could have chosen to remain in power until his demise, holding on to all that he went through on behalf of his country South Africa — fought the apartheid, he was imprisoned for 27 years because of this, came out of prison and led the country for just 5 years; and still wielded his unmatched spirit to improve the lives of millions of his fellow countrymen and women. In the period as president, there was no record of abuse of office or mismanagement of public funds, no record of violation of human rights. Nelson Mandela had a clean sheet within the context of political leadership in Africa.
The Robert Mugabe story is a testament to the fact that power is transient and what you do while wielding the power will determine one’s legacies when one is no longer there. At a point, Mugabe was world’s oldest head of state, and Africa’s longest-serving leader. He was no doubt Zimbabwe’s founding father, a country he built from the scratch, and a country he almost destroyed. The Mugabe story should teach the current African leaders some lessons. The truth now is this: No matter how many years you have been in power as a leader, what you do in those years would determine how you would be remembered.
The world today relishes the Mandela legacies, there is even the Nelson Mandela International Day which comes up every July 18th of every year, which was inaugurated in 2009, few years before his passing. If Mandela’s legacies isn’t worth remembering, nobody would dedicate a day to him to be remembered and celebrated. Would there be a Robert Mugabe’s day? Well, maybe in Zimbabwe! But what would Africa remember Robert Mugabe for after now?
What do you want to be remembered for as a leader? This is one of the things you must regularly think about as a leader.
