8 September 2019
In the pantheon of gallant freedom fighters who staged heroic anti-colonial and apartheid battles on the African continent, Robert Mugabe is considered both an icon and a charlatan.
To some, he is the embodiment of a revolutionary quest for freedom and his demise ought to be mourned by all who value pan-Africanism and freedom. It is an undeniable fact that Mugabe, for an extended period, became the single most vociferous critic of the West. While at times he spewed anti-imperialist dogma, at critical times he became the sole African leader possessed of the courage to speak obvious truths that other African leaders didn’t have the balls for.
To others, though, Mugabe was a despot and a mass murderer whose hands were dripping with the blood of massacred Matebeleland peasants, for which he deserves no forgiveness.
In life, as in death, Mugabe is a towering figure of division, conjuring veneration and scorn. In truth, though, he is like many ordinary people who, once they’ve tasted power, find justification to hold on it, and even kill for it, before letting go.
The very fact that he died in Singapore is indicative of his health legacy for his own country. The fact that many of his country men and women are spread all over the world – desiring to be anywhere but home – attests to the ruinous nature of his politics.
The land reform he spearheaded with determination and gusto has yielded economic disrepair with run-away inflation. Yes, part of this was a result of sanctions imposed by his arch-nemesis to ensure he did not succeed. Yet, nobody can claim he covered himself in glory.
While the idea of ensuring that the wealth of the country is shared and used to benefit especially poor Zimbabweans is commendable, the implementation of the reform was riven with wanton criminality.
The beneficiaries were mostly the petit bourgeoisie and not ordinary Zimbabweans with a keen interest in the utilisation of the land. As a consequence, the agricultural sector took a knock in what used to be the bread-basket of Southern Africa, with calamitous consequences.
And therein lies a fundamental test for SA: the manner in which land reform is managed in our country will determine whether this generation bequeaths the next an economy in ruins, as Mugabe has done. That said, there is no debate in SA on whether land redistribution is required. Mugabe offers classic examples of how not to do it. Mugabe did many other things wrong. From the apparent rigging of elections, the repressive laws making it hard for ordinary Zimbabweans to protest peacefully without being subjected to the brute force of the notorious Zim police, Mugabe sealed his legacy.
