Edward Makuzva
Former president Robert Mugabe died on Friday morning in a hospital in Singapore at the age of 95, Zimbabwean nationals are still reacting to the death of their former President Robert Mugabe.
Zimbabweans living in the country who spoke to this publication have mixed feelings over former president Mugabe’s death.
Posting on his twitter account, University of Zimbabwe law lecturer and NCA President, Professor Lovemore Madhuku said my parents are poor peasants in Chipinge. They could not have afforded to pay for my university education, under the leadership of former President Robert Mugabe, the government of an independent Zimbabwe paid for my university education. My generation benefited from that vision.
Immaculate Moyo (34) a street vendor at Copacabana bus terminus added Mugabe failed to build state of the art hospitals and he had to die in a foreign land seeking medical attention. Now he is coming back home as duty free cargo.
Moyo said African leaders should learn from South Africa on how to build world class healthcare systems.
“All politians refuse to be treated at local hospitals that they expect ordinary taxpayers have to go to. Now a government which has no money wastes more on Mugabe who disrespected the law of the country”, Moyo explained.
Norman Zuze (39) highlighted that the former President destroyed peoples home during operation Murambatsvina era while he built himself a mansion, not my hero.
He destroyed our country now he is gone and we have left nothing in the country because of him.
“Why should I shed my tears for him when I’m suffering like this? I can’t even pay fees for my daughter who is doing form 4”, Zuze explained.
Spiwe Manhenga a mother of 2 said Mugabe is my hero, he provide education and scholarships to most Zimbabweans of course he failed somewhere but on the education side he did great.
One small group chanted and danced “we will never get any other president like President Mugabe who during his time had the guts to call the British ‘these stupid British’ right in the face”, said the supporter.
“I am sad, our father has left us. I don’t know what the future of this country will be like without him. He liberated this country and for me, as a woman, I was able to go to school. Today I can stand for myself as a woman because he did a lot to help us get equality with men”.
Beyond education, Mugabe sought to empower people, but his controversial approach to empowerment marked Zimbabwe’s downturn at the end of the 1990s.
But while some Zimbabweans hailed Mugabe as a revolutionary icon, for others his named evoked only ‘destruction and suffering’.
In a statement on twitter, MDC Leader Nelson Chamisa said the main opposition, the Movement for Democratic change (MDC) added “my condolences to the Mugabe family and Africa for the passing on of Zimbabwe’s founding president. This is a dark moment for the family because a giant among them has fallen. May lord comfort them?
“ Even though I and our party, the MDC and the Zimbabwean people had great political differences with the late former president during his tenure in office, and disagreed for decades, we recognise his contribution made as the founding president.
Add comment