By Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube
Zim GBC News Editor
HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa marked the sixth anniversary of former President Robert Mugabe’s death on Friday with a glowing tribute, hailing his predecessor as a “freedom fighter par excellence” and a “fervent Pan-Africanist” whose legacy of liberation and empowerment endures.
In a official statement, President Mnangagwa praised Mugabe’s role in leading Zimbabwe to independence in 1980 after enduring “eleven years of incarceration under the settler colonial regime.”
The President emphasized Mugabe’s contributions to the Land Reform Programme, indigenization policies, and expanding access to education and healthcare, particularly for marginalized communities.
“Cde Mugabe was a true son of the soil and an iconic liberation fighter who ushered Zimbabwe into independence in 1980, following a protracted armed liberation struggle against colonial rule,” Mnangagwa stated.
He added that the Second Republic “re-dedicates itself to preserving the legacy of Cde RG Mugabe” through ongoing national development strategies.
The Unmentioned Rupture
The Presidential tribute notably omitted the dramatic circumstances that precipitated the transfer of power in 2017, when Mnangagwa—then Mugabe’s vice president—was fired amid rising tensions. This dismissal came against the backdrop of what became known as the “Blue Ocean” document, allegedly authored by former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo.
The document, as detailed and by the former Minister and Researcher researcher Jonathan Moyo in his work “The Blue Ocean: Mugabe’s Last Stand,” outlined a strategy to sideline Mnangagwa and the Lacoste faction while positioning Grace Mugabe as the political successor. This precipitated a military-assisted transition that saw Mnangagwa assume power while Mugabe resigned under pressure.
The fallout led to the exile of several Mugabe allies, including Patrick Zhuwao, Saviour Kasukuwere, and Jonathan Moyo himself.
The recent return and arrest of former Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi, another Mugabe-era official, has brought this chapter back into focus, highlighting the ongoing tensions between the old guard and the current administration.
A Complicated Legacy
Mnangagwa’s tribute represents a continued effort to reconcile Mugabe’s liberation-era credentials with the more contentious aspects of his later rule and their own fractured relationship. The statement placed Mugabe alongside African icons including Julius Nyerere, Kenneth Kaunda, Samora Machel and Nelson Mandela.
“As we remember our late President, the Second Republic once again re-dedicates itself to preserving the legacy of Cde RG Mugabe,” Mnangagwa said, linking current development programs to Mugabe’s foundational policies.
The tribute concludes with a call for the soul of the “late great freedom fighter and liberator, veteran nationalist, frontline statesman, fervent Pan-Africanist, champion of political and economic liberation of Africa, and a luminary leader” to “rest in eternal peace.”
Robert Gabriel Mugabe, born February 21, 1924, passed away on September 6, 2019, in Singapore, leaving behind a complex legacy that continues to shape Zimbabwe’s political landscape six years after his death.
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