The graceless fall of Robert Mugabe : the end of a dictator's reign

Abstract: The ousting of Robert Mugabe as Zimbabwe2019s president took the world by surprise. In this book, veteran Zimbabwean journalist Geoffrey Nyarota explains how and why the events of November 2017 happened as they did. The book describes the rifts within ZANU-PF as Mugabe sidelined anyone who might challenge his power, and the creation of opposing factions that supported vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa and First Lady Grace Mugabe respectively. It traces the growing ambition and power of Grace Mugabe, culminating in the sacking of Mnangagwa as vice president in November 2017, and shows how this finally spurred ZANU-PF to rid itself of the president who had done so much damage to the country over the decades. Written with the insight of a journalist from inside Zimbabwe, this is a fascinating account of the rise and fall of one of Africa2019s longest-ruling dictators--Publisher's website The ousting of Robert Mugabe as Zimbabwe's president took the world by surprise. In this book, award-winning Zimbabwean journalist Geoffrey Nyarota explains how and why the events of November 2017 happened as they did. Nyarota evaluates the political and economic impact of Mugabe's presidency, showing how he managed to reduce a prosperous nation to a state of destitution through extreme misgovernance. The book describes the rifts within ZANU-PF as Mugabe sidelined anyone who might challenge his power, and the creation of opposing factions that supported Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and First Lady Grace Mugabe respectively. It traces the growing ambition and power of Grace Mugabe, culminating in the sacking of Mnangagwa as vice president in November 2017, and explains how this finally spurred ZANU-PF to rid itself of the president who had done so much damage to the country over the decades. Written with the insight of a veteran Zimbabwean journalist, this is a fascinating account of the rise and fall of one of Africa's longest-ruling dictators. This book is dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of law-abiding and peace-loving citizens of Zimbabwe, who over the first thirty-seven years of their country’s independence endured adversity, penury and injustice under the governance of the first prime minister and second president of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Robert Gabriel Mugabe. It is dedicated to the members of my own immediate family, who suffered intolerable anguish because of my commitment to the professional calling of journalism during the dictatorship of the former president. Preface Abbreviations 1.The nomadic intellectual 2.Return of a heroic figure 3.Silencing divergent voices 4.From breadbasket to basket case 5.From ‘small house’ to First Lady 6.Origins of ZANU-PF factionalism 7.Mujuru’s death: Accident or assassination? 8.First Lady dreams of presidency 9.The rise and fall of the Crocodile 10.The night of the long knives 11.The long march that shaped history 12.The fall of an aged dictator Select bibliography Index