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Robert Mugabe Power, Plunder and Tyranny in Zimbabwe Author: Martin Meredith Published by Jonathan Ball 243pp; 235 X 155mm; 16pp b/w illustrations; map Softcover; ISBN 1-86842-121-X Non fiction Robert Mugabe was once hailed as a revolutionary hero. After a fierce and brutal war against white minority rule in Rhodesia, he emerged as the leader of a new Zimbabwe, embracing the cause of reconciliation and racial harmony. Hopes were high that Mugabe had the intelligence, political savvy and idealistic vision to overcome the legacy of war and forge ahead with economic and social development. As Western governments lined up- with promises of aid, Zimbabwe seemed destined for an era of peace and prosperity. The honeymoon was soon over. Determined to gain total power through a one-party system, Mugabe unleashed a campaign of mass murder and terror against his political opponents in Matabeleland. Year by year to acquired huge personal power, ruling the country through a vast system of patronage, favouring loyal aides and cronies with government positions and contracts and feeding the spreading blight of corruption. One by one state corporations and funding organisations were plundered. Mugabe and his cronies had come to regard Zimbabwe as a prize of war. Today Zimbabwe is a country beset by violence and lawlessness, regarded by the international community as a pariah state. Its economy is in tatters. Determined to remain in power by any means, Mugabe has used armed gangs to crush political opposition, subverted then rule of law, undermined the judiciary, harassed the independent press and vilified the small white community. It is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand today’s Africa.
Cartoon published in Sunday Times, Johannesburg on 18 February 2001.	War veteran-led land invaders peg out land and set up signs to turn away outsiders during the spate of land occupations that started in January 2000. This sign is outside Parklands farm in the Norton district 50km south of Harare - AP Photo/Rob Cooper

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Media reviews:

His [Martin Meredith’s] books on postwar black Africa . . . have become essential guides to anyone seeking a closer understanding of the complexities of Africa.
Sunday Times - (London)

 

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