A look back at Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe: 37 years in power

Thirty-seven years ago, Robert Mugabe was feted as a titan who had won Africa’s last great war against colonialism.

On Tuesday, in the twilight of his life, Mugabe resigned, loathed by millions of his citizens for a rule tarnished by despotism, cronyism, corruption and economic ruin.

Deserted by the forces that propped up his power for decades, Mugabe had faced the humiliation of impeachment proceedings launched by ZANU-PF, the party he had forged into a tool of unquestioning loyalty.

In a bombshell letter read to parliament by the speaker, Jacob Mudenda, the 93-year-old said: “I Robert Gabriel Mugabe in terms of section 96 of the constitution of Zimbabwe hereby formally tender my resignation … with immediate effect.” (AFP)

Here’s a look back at Mugabe, the only ruler Zimbabwe has known in its 37 years of independence.

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