- Title: Reaction to the death of former Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe
- Date: 6th September 2019
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGINEER, DAVID OLANIPEKUN , SAYING: "His passing away is really sad. It is really sad in the sense that his position, his profile that we end up with is quite disturbing. You know for a leader who has had so much time in office and only for him to end in such a way, what I see having so much negative retaliation. So it's quite disturbing, but long and short no human being is perfect so he has done his own part in life." (SOUNDBITE) (English) SALES PERSONNEL, OLAWIYOLA OLADIMEJI, SAYING: "Death is inevitable in life, it's part of life. Now he is gone definitely, there must be a turn around. Change is constant in life." (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARKETER, OSADUME ALIYU, SAYING: "Zimbabwe is the only country that has a billion dollar bill. One billion dollar bill, it’s just like 1000 (Nigerian) Naira but it's only Zimbabwe that has it. And why? Because their money doesn't have value, their money doesn't make sense, their money is just big, let me say big for nothing because their level of economic statistics or the level of the economy that Robert Mugabe did, was actually a failure. So now he's dead I just believe one of our problems is solved. I'm sorry." (SOUNDBITE) (English) TECHNICIAN, RAHMON OLANIYI, SAYING: "God should forgive him, because he didn't do well for Zimbabwe. So the Zimbabwe people should be in jubilation now so they should produce another good leader, so they should not bring someone like Mugabe." NAIROBI, KENYA (SEPTEMBER 06, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEDESTRIANS CROSSING THE ROAD (SOUNDBITE) (English) NAIROBI RESIDENT, ROCKFELLA KASUSYA, SAYING: "No vacuum at all. In fact he had started going backwards and you can note that he was the most educated president in the world but his education was not commensurate with what he achieved." (SOUNDBITE) (Kiswahili) NAIROBI RESIDENT, BONIFACE MUTEMI, SAYING: "There were a lot of undertones because he had stayed long in power because here in Africa, when you stay in power for too long you are seen as a dictator, but I can't say that he was a dictator. He was a bright person with good leadership, the number of years say so although the Zimbabwean economy suffered." CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (SEPTEMBER 06, 2019) (REUTERS) PRESIDENT OF NAMIBIA HAGE GEINGOB WALKING WITH PEOPLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT OF NAMIBIA, HAGE GEINGOB, SAYING: "Ninety-five years is long life. In my culture we say we celebrate, we don't say, 'somebody died', so we are celebrating his life. His legacy, I hope is a good legacy. He was a committed freedom fighter; revolutionary, not compromising." BEIJING, CHINA (SEPTEMBER 6, 2019) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY BUILDING CHINESE NATIONAL FLAG FLYING CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN GENG SHUANG ARRIVING AT REGULAR NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN GENG SHUANG, SAYING: "Mr Mugabe was an outstanding liberation movement leader and statesman for Zimbabwe who spent his (entire) life defending his country's independence. He opposed foreign interference and promoted friendly cooperation and relations between both China and Zimbabwe and China and Africa. We are deeply saddened by his passing and express sincere sympathies to the Zimbabwean people, government and to Mr. Mugabe's family."
- Embargoed: 20th September 2019 14:17
- Keywords: Mugabe death Zimbabwe President world wide reactions
- Location: HARARE, ZIMBABWE / SINGAPORE / JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA / LAGOS, NIGERIA / NAIROBI, KENYA / CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA / BEIJING, CHINA
- City: HARARE, ZIMBABWE / SINGAPORE / JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA / LAGOS, NIGERIA / NAIROBI, KENYA / CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA / BEIJING, CHINA
- Country: Various
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA005AVIT5QF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Robert Mugabe, the bush war guerrilla leader who led Zimbabwe to independence in 1980 and crushed his foes during nearly four decades of rule as his country descended into poverty, hyperinflation and unrest, died on Friday (September 6) aged 95.
He was one of the most polarising figures in his continent's history, a giant of African liberation, whose rule finally ended in ignominy when he was overthrown by his own army. He died in Singapore, where he had long received medical treatment.
"It is with the utmost sadness that I announce the passing on of Zimbabwe's founding father and former President, Cde (Comrade) Robert Mugabe," a post on President Emmerson Mnangagwa's official Twitter account said.
Mnangagwa cut short a trip to a World Economic Forum meeting in South Africa to return home, a government official said.
Tributes poured in from African leaders and at home, even foes paid respects.
But others said his legacy was overshadowed by the harm he did to his people.
Mugabe was feted as a champion of racial reconciliation when he first came to power in a nation throwing off white colonial rule. By the time he was toppled, he was viewed by many at home and abroad as a power-obsessed autocrat who unleashed death squads, rigged elections and ruined the economy to keep control.
His departure from power failed to lift Zimbabwe's economy, however, which remains in its worst economic crisis in a decade. Triple-digit inflation, rolling power cuts and shortages of U.S. dollars and basic goods have revived memories of the Mugabe era. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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