Ding dong, Mugabe's dead!

Word spread quickly when it was reported that the long-time dictator and former founding leader of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, was dead.

For many, the reaction was – "finally."

For others, the feeling was that he got away too easily, not having to pay for the atrocities he inflicted on his country.

For others, the feeling is they wanted to go to the funeral, just to prove that he really is gone.

And the, of course, there are the reactions of those who supported the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe and who consider the man a hero for the liberation of black Africa.

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Example, the president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta. He issued a statement dedicated to "Comrade Mugabe" – calling him "a shining beacon of Africa's liberation struggle." He also ordered three days of official mourning.

Robert Mugabe died Sept. 5 in a Singapore hospital after long treatment of an undisclosed ailment. He was 95.

Condolences were issued from Russia, Vladimir Putin being the first to issue a statement. He was followed by such as Iran, China and Nigeria.
Others are expected.

The president of Zimbabwe, Emerson Mnangagwa, issued a statement, calling Mugabe "an icon of liberation, a pan-Africanist who dedicated his life to the emancipation and empowerment of his people. His contribution to the history of our nation and continent will never be forgotten. May his soul rest in eternal peace."

It all sounds nice unless you are aware the only reason Mnangagwa is president is because of a military coup two years ago that ousted Mugabe.

Robert Mugabe started as freedom fighter supporting Great Britain but turned into a genocidal dictator who murdered thousands of people – whites and blacks – and virtually destroyed his own country.

Mugabe was in power for 37 years. During that time, he changed the face of the country, destroyed the economy, became incredibly rich himself and caused great suffering for Zimbabweans.

When Rhodesia (under British rule) became Zimbabwe, it was considered the breadbasket of the world – some called it "the jewel of Africa." It had a thriving economy and exported food to the world.

But under Mugabe, that changed. The Daily Mail described it concisely: "[T]he breadbasket of Africa was collapsing in one of the most shocking peacetime implosions of any modern country. Hyper-inflation was raging, unemployment was rife, people were starving, public services non-existent and corruption, brutality and bloodshed a way of life for millions."

Medical care deteriorated for lack of money. AIDS ripped through the population and life expectancy dropped to the lowest in the world.

Mugabe used starvation as a policy tool and plundered his nation on an epic scale. Enemies were beaten, raped, tortured and killed almost at random, many the victims of self-styled violent gangs called "war veterans."

Whites were driven from their farms after being beaten and often killed and the land turned over to blacks, who had no idea how to farm. The result was the destruction of the agricultural base of the country. For example, tobacco – which had brought in 40 percent of the foreign currency earnings – could no longer even be harvested in many areas.

The economy went south as the people starved. The result was the worst hyper-inflation in history – with prices doubling every 24 hours! Inflation soared, reaching 230 million percent in 2008. Finally, the country was forced to abandon its currency after issuing 10-trillion-dollar notes!

The one person who presented a real political threat was Morgan Tsvangirai. He was a former union boss who became leader of the MDC – the Movement for Democratic Change. He presented such a threat that he was arrested, beaten, intimidated and charged with treason. Members of his party were beaten and mutilated with broken bottles, and women were raped.

During this time, I covered the turmoil in Zimbabwe on my radio program and had the opportunity to talk with Morgan Tsvangirai. He was open about the problems in the country and about his goals to free the people from the iron grip of Mugabe. That was not to be.

When Mugabe lost the 2008 presidential election, his generals convinced him to stay, fixed the vote count and unleashed a wave of terror against the rival. In 2009, Tsvangirai's wife was killed in a suspicious car crash. Apparently many of Mugabe's enemies died this way.

There was an uneasy coalition with the MDC – but it took a toll on Tsvangirai, whose health deteriorated. He died in 2018.

In the meantime, Mugabe continued his reign of terror, and his second wife continued her incredible spending, earning her nickname "Gucci Grace." Mugabe was no slouch in the money area; it's estimated he was worth hundreds of billions of dollars when he died, the money stashed in accounts across the world. In addition, his real estate was spread out widely, reportedly including a castle in Scotland.

He was also responsible for genocide – the massacre of some 20,000 ethnic Ndebele people in the western part of the country. That was barely three years after independence from Britain. Mugabe sent North Korean-trained troops into the area to crush the dissidents loyal to liberation war rival Joshua Nkomo. Most of the victims were executed after being forced to dig their own graves. Others were thrown down wells or mine shafts. According to the 1997 report by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, rape, torture, mass beatings and destruction of villages were commonplace.

Other targets of his rage were homosexuals. He hated them and threatened to decapitate them. In 1995, he said LGBT people were "worse than dogs and pigs."

Another area of his cruelty was with animals. He was known for his cruelty to the magnificent endangered wild animals of his country – sending them to countries such as North Korea or Yugoslavia as gifts, where he knew they would soon die … and they did. He also used endangered animals for food at his birthday celebrations.

When I was reporting on Zimbabwe, I also covered the writings of Peter Godwin, author of "When a Crocodile Eats the Sun" and "The Fear" – both about his family experiences in Zimbabwe; and also Douglas Rogers' book, "The Last Resort – A Memoir of Zimbabwe." If you want to be deeply touched by the horror of what happened that country, read these.

I will remember Robert Mugabe, but only as a bloodthirsty tyrant. I, for one, am glad he's dead.

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