Lifestyles of the World’s Worst Dictators: Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe

Sep 25, 2011 by James

Ranked recently as the worst dictator in the world by Parade magazine Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe has ruled the small African nation of 13 million since assuming power in 1980. Murder, torture, rampant corruption, sky high inflation, phenomenal poverty and human rights abuses have consistently plagued the country. 87-year-old Mugabe is married to 46-year-old Grace and has never shied away from spending lavishly as his people die around him. Let’s examine why we’re secretly hoping the Zimbabwean people decide to follow the example of countries like Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Syria.

A few cold hard facts about Zimbabwe under Mugabe:

• Unemployment has hovered around 80% since he took power and is currently at 94%.
• Has been rigging elections for Mugabe since the early 80s.
• Under the “redistribution” act Mugabe redistributed land owned by whites by giving the land to blacks who held his favor.
• The blacks who Mugabe gave the land to were not trained farmers so food output dropped 45% as crops died.
• Tobacco output that accounted for 25% of the agricultural exports stopped as the crops died.
• Mugabe did not redistribute white-owned land to black farmers but instead gave millions of acres to blacks he favored or could pay his hefty bribes.
• Manufacturing output fell 29% in 2005, 26% in 2006 and 28% in 2007.
• In 2008 the Zimbabwe currency inflated by 231,150,888.87% making it worthless. Mugabe froze inflation and declared foreign currency illegal.
• In 2009 the hyperinflation of the country’s currency rendered it worthless. Mugabe abandoned the currency and the country now uses foreign currency from many different countries.
• Mugabe has massacred thousands to stay in power including political rivals.
• Mugabe was defeated in the 2008 election but refused to give up power.
• Mugabe has imprisoned, tortured and killed many people simply for being accused of homosexuality.
• Mugabe had over one million people forced from their homes in order to build his latest palace on the land.
• Mugabe personally gave himself three large farms during the land redistribution and when the owners of the properties did not leave immediately they were beaten and killed.
• Mugabe’s latest election “win” resulted in over 100 deaths in political violence, mass beatings, torture and hundreds of thousands driven from their homes all designed to intimidate and prevent the opposition’s supporters from voting.
• Under Mugabe’s orders the militia murdered the wife of his political opponent by burning her alive with gasoline after severing her hands and feet.

Now let’s take a quick look at Robert Mugabe’s lifestyle. Please bare in mind that as head of state his official salary is $57,000.

Just a few years ago Mugabe built a mansion with 25 bedroom suites for a total cost of $26 to $30 million dollars. The property is very secure thanks to the Dictator’s very good friends – China, who graciously supplied him with an anti-aircraft missile system for the estate in the event that the oppressed masses revolt. The timber was imported from Asian and South Africa. The marble and granite from Italy and Mugabe’s good friends in China supplied the glazed midnight blue tiles covering the roof. Of course after it was built the Mugabe’s spent millions on European furnishings and even hired a dedicated team of Middle Eastern artisans to paint the ceilings at a cost of $1 million. Neighbors were told to either leave or sell their homes immediately. A British reporter asked Mugabe about the house and the world’s worst dictator simply replied, “It is lavish because it’s attractive.” You can see a nice large satellite view of Mugabe’s compound here.

Now that was the fifth estate Mugabe owned since becoming “President”. In the late 90s his wife, Grace, used government funds earmarked to build housing for the homeless to build what became known as Graceland. A massive 30-room estate that included hundreds of acres of land taken at gunpoint from the original owners. Years later the Mugabe’s sold the estate to Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi. Do you think the Mugabe’s gave the money back to Zimbabwe? Of course not. They pocketed it all.

Grace Mugabe who is commonly known as “Gucci Grace” or “The First Shopper” has notoriously expensive tastes and enjoys European shopping excursions using a government jet, staying in the most expensive hotels and spendings millions dollars of Zimbabwe’s money on expensive jewelry, shoes, clothing and furnishings.

The first family also owns a 29-room farmhouse estate that Grace Mugabe saw while touring the countryside. Grace decided she liked the property and so informed the real owners that they had 48 hours to vacant their own home before she had them shot. Needless to say the Mugabe’s now also enjoy a beautiful country retreat whenever they want.

The Mugabe’s also own a penthouse in Malaysia where Grace also owns a diamond-cutting business. The diamond cutting business is more practical though as the First Lady of Zimbabwe makes millions of dollars a year by stealing diamonds from her country’s own diamond mines and selling them.

Robert and Grace recently bought a large condo in Hong Kong for their daughter who is attending school there under a fake name. Interesting side note the Mugabe’s daughter is attending college in Hong Kong and not Zimbabwe because Mugabe shut down all schools in his country two years ago and has yet to reopen them.

Mugabe also has a country retreat in Nyanga, a resort area in the Eastern Highlands  of the country that is guarded all-year round by his militia.

Now let it not be said that Robert Mugabe is blind to his people’s plight and misery. In fact in the event that the people do rise up and try to remove him from power he has billions of the country’s money stashed in Asian banks and even secretly bought a $6 million pad in Hong Kong. What a beautiful place to live out one’s forced retirement and enjoy all the stolen cash he’s socked away from the poor.

Anyone else wondering what happened to that time honored tradition of assassinating tyrants?