IT was all jeers for President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa yesterday in Harare, Zimbabwe, when he joined other African leaders to pay tribute to Zimbabwe’s founding president, Robert Mugabe.
The former Zimbabwean President had died on September 6, 2019 at Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore.
The crowd booed him as he was introduced by the master of ceremony at the funeral held at the National Sports Stadium.
The boos were in reaction to the recent xenophobic attacks by South Africans on fellow Africans living in their country, including Nigerians and Zimbabweans.
The MC pleaded with the stadium crowd to let Ramaphosa speak.
He apologized for the attacks in which 12 people were officially confirmed dead and many others maimed or displaced.
More than 10 African leaders and several former presidents attended the service and viewing of the body of Mugabe, who died penultimate week in Singapore aged 95.
Nigeria was represented at the event by Vice President Yemi Oshinbajo.
Ramaphosa said: “I like to say to the people of Zimbabwe that in the last two weeks, we as South Africans have been going through challenging period. We have had acts of violence erupting in some parts of our country and some of which was directed at our brothers in other African countries.
“This has led to the deaths of some people. Some of whom are nationals of other countries and majority are from South Africa. I stand before you as a fellow African to express my regrets and to apologize for what has happened in our country.
“What has happened in South Africa goes against the principles of the unity of the African people that President Mugabe, Nelson Mandela, Oliver Thambo and leaders of our continent stood for.
“I stand before you, fellow Zimbabweans, fellow Africans to say that we are working very hard to encourage all our people in South Africa to embrace people from all other African countries.
“Your Excellencies, I will like to thank you for the support that you have offered us during this difficult time. I would like to say this now that South Africans are not xenophobic and are not against nationals from other African countries.
“We welcome people from other African countries and we are going to work very hard that will encourage and promote social cohesion of all the people of South Africa working side by side with people from other part of our continent. This we shall do, because we want to embrace the spirit of unity that President Mugabe worked for throughout his life.”
Ramaphosa described Mugabe as a founding father of modern day Zimbabwe.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta described Mugabe as “a great icon of African liberation” and “a visionary leader and relentless champion of African dignity.”
The Zimbabwean authorities said late on Friday that the former president’s burial will be postponed until the building of a new resting place at the national Heroes’ Acre Monument.
It is the latest turn in a dramatic wrangle between Mugabe’s family and President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a once-trusted deputy who helped oust Mugabe from power.
Mnangagwa presided over yesterday’s ceremony, attended by Mugabe’s widow Grace, who wore a black veil.
“A giant tree of Africa has fallen,” said Mnangagwa, who hailed Mugabe as “a bold, steadfast revolutionary.”
He praised Mugabe for seizing land from white farmers.
“To him, this was the grievance of all grievances of our people,” Mnangagwa said.
“The land has now been reunited with the people and the people have been reunited with the land.”
He asked the West to remove sanctions imposed during Mugabe’s era.
“Go Well Our Revolutionary Icon” and “Farewell Gallant Son of the Soil” were among the banners praising Mugabe, who led the bitter guerrilla war to end white-minority rule in the country then known as Rhodesia. Mugabe was Zimbabwe’s first leader and ruled the country from 1980 for 37 years, from years of prosperity to economic ruin and repression.
His legacy of black emancipation will live long in hearts of
Africans–Osinbajo
Vice President Osinbajo said that the legacy of determined, proud and assertive black emancipation left by the late Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe will live long in the hearts of Africans.
Osinbajo conveyed the message on the condolence register for Mugabe at the Harare International Airport.
“Nigeria most respectfully condoles with the Republic of Zimbabwe on the passing of her President, Robert Mugabe – who led the republic and her people to freedom and majority rule – alongside so many other patriots,” he said.
“His legacy of determined, proud and assertive black emancipation will live long in the hearts of Africans. We wish the people of Zimbabwe great peace and prosperity.”
Osinbajo, later while speaking with Zimbabwean journalists at the airport, described Mugabe as a great encouragement to independence movements everywhere.
He said that Mugabe was also a great motivation to self-realization for black people practically everywhere.
According to Osinbajo, the passing on of Mugabe is indeed sad, especially for those who are leaders today.
His words: “the memories of the years of decolonization, the years of the struggle for black majority rule in various places are years that bring joy and confidence to most of us, especially leaders today.
“This is one of the reasons why President Mugabe stood out as one of those leaders whose zeal, passion and selfless commitment to the emancipation of the people of Zimbabwe was not only a great encouragement to the independence movements everywhere, but more to the self-realisation for black people practically everywhere.
“So, his passing is indeed sad. I think that for most of us, especially those who are leaders today, there’s a lot to learn from such an incredibly illustrious career, especially the role that he played in decolonization.
“And, of course, alongside the work that was done, not just by the frontline states, but by the likes of Nelson Mandela in South Africa and so many other African patriots; their lives and times, especially during the period of the struggle for black majority rule in Southern Africa and the support that other African countries gave, especially sub-Saharan African countries; Nigeria being, as you have noted, a frontline state.
“There are times when I think we should be extremely proud of what we achieved as black people.”
Mugabe was sacked in 2017 by the military and Mnangagwa in a bloodless coup that was marked by more than 100,000 people demonstrating in Harare’s streets to demand that he step down. Following Mugabe’s resignation, Mnangagwa took power and won elections the following year on campaign promises he would improve the collapsed economy and create jobs.
But Zimbabwe’s economy has lurched from crunch to crisis and some in the crowd expressed the view that life was better under Mugabe’s rule.
“Bread was less than a dollar when we marched against him (Mugabe). It is now $9,” said Munashe Gudyanga, 18. “I am just here to say ‘Sorry, President Mugabe, we didn’t know things will be worse.’”
Some in the stadium sang an impromptu farewell to Mugabe, “When you left bread was a dollar,” lyrics that implicitly criticized Mnangagwa, whose nearly two-year rule has been marked by rising prices, with inflation currently more than 175%.
The visiting leaders viewed Mugabe’s partially open casket, followed by a 21-gun salute, a fly past by Zimbabwean air force jets and the release of 95 doves, to mark Mugabe’s 95 years.
His body is to be viewed in his birthplace, Zvimba, today and then will be held in preservation until the new mausoleum is ready.
In downtown Harare, some other Zimbabweans were busy with their weekend errands, and expressed little interest in the funeral, which was open to the public.
“What will I get if I go there? What will Mugabe do for me now that he failed to do when he was alive?” said Amelia Tukande, who was selling cellphone chargers along Harare’s Samora Machel Avenue that leads to the stadium. “It is a waste of time. I have to work for my family.”
Others said they would have wanted to attend the funeral but cannot afford transport fares.
“I didn’t like him, but I still wanted to attend just to see for myself that he is gone … but kombis (minivan taxis) want $3.50 just to get to the stadium,” said Amos Siduna, waiting in line at a bank to get cash, which is in short supply. “That’s too much money for me just to go and say ‘bye bye’ to a corpse. Mugabe’s corpse. No.”
The mourning period for Mugabe’s death has been marked by the ongoing drama over where, when and how the ex-strongman will be buried. The new resting place will be built near the stadium at Heroes’ Acre, a national burial site for top officials of Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party who contributed to ending white colonial rule
The mausoleum will be at an elevated site above the other graves, according to Mnangagwa and a Mugabe family spokesman.
Grace had previously insisting on a private burial rather than the state funeral and burial in a simple plot alongside other national heroes planned by the government.
“We are building a mausoleum for our founding father at the top of the hill at Heroes’ Acre,” Mnangagwa said on state television Friday night, consenting to the Mugabe family’s wishes.
But Zimbabwe’s economy has lurched from crunch to crisis and some in the crowd expressed the view that life was better under Mugabe’s rule.
“Bread was less than a dollar when we marched against him (Mugabe). It is now $9,” said Munashe Gudyanga, 18. “I am just here to say ‘Sorry, President Mugabe, we didn’t know things will be worse.’”
Some in the stadium sang an impromptu farewell to Mugabe, “When you left bread was a dollar,” lyrics that implicitly criticized Mnangagwa, whose nearly two-year rule has been marked by rising prices, with inflation currently more than 175%.
The visiting leaders viewed Mugabe’s partially open casket, followed by a 21-gun salute, a fly past by Zimbabwean air force jets and the release of 95 doves, to mark Mugabe’s 95 years.
His body is to be viewed in his birthplace, Zvimba, today and then will be held in preservation until the new mausoleum is ready.
In downtown Harare, some other Zimbabweans were busy with their weekend errands, and expressed little interest in the funeral, which was open to the public.
“What will I get if I go there? What will Mugabe do for me now that he failed to do when he was alive?” said Amelia Tukande, who was selling cellphone chargers along Harare’s Samora Machel Avenue that leads to the stadium. “It is a waste of time. I have to work for my family.”
Others said they would have wanted to attend the funeral but cannot afford transport fares.
“I didn’t like him, but I still wanted to attend just to see for myself that he is gone … but kombis (minivan taxis) want $3.50 just to get to the stadium,” said Amos Siduna, waiting in line at a bank to get cash, which is in short supply. “That’s too much money for me just to go and say ‘bye bye’ to a corpse. Mugabe’s corpse. No.”
The mourning period for Mugabe’s death has been marked by the ongoing drama over where, when and how the ex-strongman will be buried. The new resting place will be built near the stadium at Heroes’ Acre, a national burial site for top officials of Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party who contributed to ending white colonial rule
The mausoleum will be at an elevated site above the other graves, according to Mnangagwa and a Mugabe family spokesman.
Grace had previously insisting on a private burial rather than the state funeral and burial in a simple plot alongside other national heroes planned by the government.
“We are building a mausoleum for our founding father at the top of the hill at Heroes’ Acre,” Mnangagwa said on state television Friday night, consenting to the Mugabe family’s wishes.