Robert Mugabe has been an infamous political leader and also had a great influence on Zimbabwe’s freedom fighting movements. He still acquires a prestigious political position there. Here are some quick Robert Mugabe facts in case you need them.
Robert Mugabe Facts: 1-5
1. His full name is Robert Gabriel Mugabe. He was born on 21st February 1924 in Kutama, Southern Rhodesia, which is now Zimbabwe. The place came under the British rule at that point of time and the region was under too much political stress because of this reason.
2. Gabriel Matibili was his father. He was a carpenter. His mother, Bona, was from the Shona ethnic group.
3. It was Ghana, where he met his wife Sally Hayfron for the first time and got married to her. However, he got married to Grace Marufu, who is his present wife, after Sally’s death.
4. He had one son with Sally Hayfron, but he died at the age of 4. He has two sons and one daughter with Grace Marufu.
5. Some sources also report that Mugabe’s father went to South Africa to work at a Jesuit mission when Mugabe was still a little boy, but he never came back home.
Robert Mugabe Facts: 6-10
6. His mother was left alone to raise Mugabe and his three other siblings on her own.
7. Mugabe tried to help his mother by tending cows and doing odd jobs in his childhood.
8. Mugabe had a special interest in education. He had his schooling under the guidance of the school director Father O’Hea.
9. Mugabe luckily had a good influence in his childhood as he was under the supervision of O’Hea, who taught him to treat all people equally and directed toward education fulfillment. His teachers used to often call him “a clever child”.
10. He diligently finished his college education from the Katuma’s St. Francis Xavier College in the year 1945. He didn’t lose his touch with the education sector as he chose the profession of a teacher and taught in Rhodesia and Ghana.
Robert Mugabe Facts: 11-15
11. He also pursued higher education at Fort Hare University in South Africa at the same time. In 1951, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and English from there.
12. After that, he returned to his place to help locals with education. He decided to continue his education and earned the degree of Bachelors of Education through the correspondence course in 1953, when he was in his hometown.
13. When he was in the hometown, he noticed the residents of Southern Rhodesia were pretty oppressed about the new rules and restrictions placed on their daily lives.
14. Robert Mugabe has been the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Since 1980.
15. He also served his nation as a President.
Robert Mugabe Facts: 16-20
16. When Mugabe went to his hometown in 1960 to introduce his fiancée, he discovered a drastic change in the place which left him quite disappointed.
17. Mugabe was selected Public Secretary of the National Democratic Party in 1960.
18. He co-founded Zimbabwe African National Union in 1963.
19. He was arrested for his aggressive protests against the British colonial Government and imprisoned for ten years.
20. While he was in the prison, he continued his education and earned university degrees in economics, education, administration and law.
Robert Mugabe Facts: 21-25
21. Despite having the possibility of making a great career, Mugabe chose to fight for his people and for his place’s freedom. He was strictly against the fact that the British colonial government ruled out the black majority rule.
22. It was the year 1960 when he first agreed to address the crowd who assembled to protest against the arrest of their great leaders.
23. Mugabe was quick to form a militant youth party to continue his movement. He wanted to help his locals achieve black independence in Rhodesia.
24. The Government, however, discontinued the operation of the party at the end of 1961.
25. When Mugabe tried to develop an association called Zimbabwe African National Union in 1963, he was arrested and sent to the prison of Hwahwa.
Robert Mugabe Facts: 26-30
26. He didn’t lose his spirit during his days in prison. He engaged in the planning of guerilla operations through secret communications while still being in the prison.
27. He managed to leave the prison in 1974 and fled to Southern Rhodesia. He then worked on bringing together a troop of Rhodesian guerrilla trainees.
28. Under Mugabe’s strong guidance and leadership, the battle against the British colonial government continued throughout the 1970s. British rule almost vanished in Southern Rhodesia by the year 1980.
29. After being awarded with the presidential position, Mugabe was quick to restructure and repair the country’s broken economy.
30. 1989 was the year of freedom, especially to the farmers as they were given the opportunity to designate the price of their own crops.
Robert Mugabe Facts: 31-35
31. Under Mugabe’s leadership, the growth in different sectors like farming, manufacturing and mining became prominent by 1994.
32. Zimbabwe, however, had to go through a little unrest due to factors like high inflation and Mugabe’s denial to amend the one party constitution present in Zimbabwe.
33. Mugabe also won the 2002 presidential election.
34. Despite Zimbabwe’s deteriorating condition, widespread unemployment, rising cases of AIDS and foreign debt, Mugabe was determined to protect his position. He was alleged to trigger violence and corruption nationwide to win the vote of 2005.
35. Mugabe, however, was found to be very wrong to get involved in a fight with Morgan Tsvangirai in 2008.
Robert Mugabe Facts: 36-40
36. This happened when Morgan Tsvangirai won the presidential election of 2008 which left Mugabe insecure.
37. The year 2008 was not so good for Mugabe as the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees decided to cancel the honorary law degree it gave to him.
38. His opponents stood against the fact the Mugabe lavishly spent $250,000 to celebrate his birthday on February 28, 2009 amid Zimbabwe’s economic uncertainty.
39. On August 3 2013, Zimbabwe Election Commission head announced that Mugabe won the election for the presidential position with 61.09 percent vote.
40. Mugabe had the virtue of a great leader and he possessed the power to lead his people with his leadership abilities.
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