Reflections on the former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe continue to pour in from all over the world, following the announcement of his passing in Singapore, Friday, with many analyzing Mugabe’s legacy.
Charles Ray, former U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2012, said while Mugabe, who led Zimbabwe from its independence in 1980 to 2017 when he resigned under pressure from the military, made a lot of mistakes, one can never strip him of his legacy as “one of the founding fathers of Africa’s independence.”
Ambassador Ray applauded Mugabe’s legacy on free education for Zimbabwe’s children, but criticized Mugabe’s controversial land reform program which he described as unsuccessful.
Turning to the government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Ambassador Ray urged the administration to “put the country back on the track it should have been on from the time they removed him (Mugabe) from office.”
Ambassador Ray said Mugabe should be remembered for his complete history.