We must respect him
Robert Mugabe has never been one to shy away from offering up a piece of his mind. Now that he has waved goodbye as president, we thought it would be a good idea to collate some of his true gems throughout the years. Given the wealth of fake quotes floating around on the internet, they have been fact-checked … thoroughly.
1. “Only God, who appointed me, will remove me – not the MDC, not the British. Only God will remove me!” – Mugabe at an election rally, 20 June 2008
2. ‘We will never allow an event like an election to reverse our independence, our sovereignty,’ Mugabe at election rally, 20 June 2008
3. “I am still the Hitler of the time. This Hitler has only one objective: justice for his people, sovereignty for his people, recognition of the independence of his people and their rights over their resources. If that is Hitler, then let me be Hitler tenfold. Ten times, that is what we stand for.” – funeral of a Cabinet minister, 2003
4. “We equally reject attempts to prescribe ‘new rights’ that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions, and beliefs. We are not gays!” – UN general assembly, 2015
5. “Mandela has gone a bit too far in doing good to the non-black communities, really in some cases at the expense of blacks.” – Interview with Dali Tambo for his series People of the South, 2013
6.” I have died many times. I have actually beaten Jesus Christ because he only died once.” – Mugabe on death rumours, interview with state radio on his 88th birthday, 2012
7. “There are things one must do for oneself. Don’t drink at all, don’t smoke, you must exercise and eat vegetables and fruit.” – Mugabe during an interview on his 88th birthday, 2012
8. “At this age, I can still go some distance, can’t I?” – Mugabe during an interview on his 88th birthday, 2012
9. “And may I say to the United States president, Mr Trump, please blow your trumpet – blow your trumpet in a musical way towards the values of unity, peace, co-operation, togetherness, dialogue, which we have always stood for and which are well-writ in our very sacred document, the Charter of the United Nations.” – Mugabe at UN general assembly, 2017
10. ““It is not worthy of discussion. Those that engage in such acts are insane. We cannot tolerate this, otherwise the dead will rise against us.” – Mugabe said according to Zimbabwe media, 2010
11. “Now you still get some people saying because we are white and you’re black, we can’t give you the honour of equality in the security council. Nonsense! That should stop. Mr Ban Ki-moon, just tell them for the last time, just as a message that you have heard, for the last time from here, that there should be real equality in the security council.” – Mugabe to Ban Ki-moon at the 26th African Union Summit, 2016.
12. “Actually, the headquarters of the United Nations is misplaced. Where do you have most of the people? You have 1.2-million people… in India, 1.3 [million] in China, and Africa, we get to nearly a billion also. Now put us together, just these three, and then put those with the white faces and pink noses put them together against us, how many are they even man to a man? And do we allow that that group should continue to, you know, to harass us even in our independent countries?” – Mugabe during his speech at the 26th African Union Summit, 2016.
13. “And with that I say to you, journalists, thank you for paying so much attention, those of you who write for those papers we read, for paying so much attention to us and to President Mugabe and for the publicity you have given me, as you focussed, those of you who focussed on me, as a real dictator.” – Mugabe at a press conference during a state visit to South Africa, 2015.
14. “Blair, Blair, who was he? Just the prime minister of Britain. I’m president of Zimbabwe.” – Mugabe at a press conference during a state visit to South Africa, 2015.
15. “We want peace, and peace does not mean you must have a lion’s share and others have a baboon’s share,” – Mugabe on race relations in South Africa at a press conference during a state visit to South Africa, 2015.