Mugabe ‘failed to liberate his own people from poverty and despair’ – Maimane

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane sent a tweet on Friday expressing condolences following the passing of founding Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, while not shying away from the negative aspects of his legacy.

“Mugabe’s legacy is that of a liberator who sadly failed to liberate his own people from poverty and despair,” Maimane said.

“I send my condolences to the family and loved ones of former President Robert Mugabe. May his soul rest in peace,” he continued.

Maimane was harshly critical of Mugabe during his life.

The DA leader warned in speeches and opinion pieces of SA potentially “going down the same road” as Zimbabwe.

Prior to his departure as Zimbabwean president, Maimane called for Mugabe to be removed from power.

He also, however, expressed the view that the country’s problems should be blamed not just on Mugabe but on his party Zanu-PF as well.

In January this year, Maimane met with members of the Zimbabwe’s opposition, the MDC.

“Their harrowing stories of the brutal clampdown by Mnangagwa’s government on the people of Zimbabwe were hard to listen to,” Maimane said.

The main lesson the DA leader believes we need to learn from Zimbabwe is that it is “extremely naive to place blind faith in a new leader of a failed governing party”.

“Zimbabweans are fast discovering that Zanu-PF is still Zanu-PF, with or without Robert Mugabe,” he said at the time.

Mugabe passed away in a hospital in Singapore after a long battle with ill health. He turned 95 in February.

Mugabe is known as a liberator to some, a ruthless dictator to others. Among the more controversial aspects of his legacy were the massacre of more than 20,000 Ndebele civilians in an operation that become known as the Gukarakundi; various reforms that changed the constitution and tightened his grip on power; the seizure of land from white farmers; and massive economic upheaval that left Zimbabwe with the highest rate of inflation in the world.

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman)

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