Mugabe

Martin Meredith's new book on Robert Mugabe, Mugabe: Power and Plunder in Zimbabwe comes as a welcome antidote to the current one-dimensional portrayals of the president as an "evil monster" that narrow our understanding of the man. Meredith has spent most of his career reporting on Zimbabwe and South Africa, first as a foreign correspondent and latterly as an academic, so his credentials are impeccable. He does not shirk from condemning Mugabe for his single-minded obsession with power that has left Zimbabwe's roads flowing with blood and its economy bankrupt, but Meredith reminds us that in his earlier days Mugabe was a much more considered political radical. Mugabe spent his early years under the tutelage of the Jesuits, and only abandoned religion in favour of Marxism after he won a scholarship to study at university in South Africa where he quickly became a highly politicised member of the African National Congress. He came to Western attention in the late 1970s when the apartheid regime in Rhodesia, as Zimbabwe was then known, creaked to its inevitable demise and Britain set about establishing an independent African regime in its former colony. Britain did its best to rig the results in favour of its preferred candidate the moderate and easily controlled Bishop Muzorewa, but much to the surprise of the Thatcher government--but to no-one in Zimbabwe--Mugabe's ZANU party romped home as landslide victors. Britain held its breath for the backlash and... nothing happened. In fact, Mugabe showed himself to be surprisingly conciliatory and Christopher Soames, the British governor-general who had been appointed to supervise the elections reported that he "ended up not only implicitly trusting him but also fondly loving him as well".

So where did it all go wrong? It is tempting to suggest that his father's desertion and the death of his young son were key factors in Mugabe's subsequent emotional detachment, but Meredith resists drawing such a linear psychological equation. Instead he catalogues the landmark events, such as the scandal of the war veteran pensions, that led Mugabe to compromise both his morality and his country and one is left with the impression that Zimbabwe's fate was inevitable given that Mugabe's only guiding motivation was to hang on to power whatever the cost. Mugabe: Power and Plunder in Zimbabwe is the first book of a brand new non-fiction imprint, PublicAffairs Ltd, that is dedicated to following the standards of IF Stone and Benjamin Bradlee: both would be more than happy to be associated with Meredith's volume. --John Crace

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An introduction surely, but not the be all and end all. - Rated
I picked up this book whilst browsing my local bookshop. I had never ever heard of Mugabe and therefore didn't have a clue as to what he or the book was all about.
This book is definately intriging: Meredith paints a vivid picture of how a country with immense potential has just been drained of all its hope. But I don't think he does enough to try and understand the main character. Little attention is paid to the 'justification' of how a young man evolved into a sinister dictator. He only uses one chapter, which is chapter 3, to explain his background. The problem that is faced here is that anyone can argue that Mugabe is not a good guy, but only a small number can reason his behaviour by using his childhood and experiences growing up. Nevertheless it is a good starting point. It's short which helps!

A Brilliant Book To Understand The Man and The Party - Rated
Matin Meridith gives a good grounding to those wishing to know more about the complexities of the man behind the present situation in Zimbabwe. He breaks it up in to chapters taking us through the life of the President from his life as a School Teacher to the Present Day Autocrat that he has become.

As can be expected the Majority of the Book is devoted to the last 22 years as Mugabe has developed a system of personal rule, carefully using the party and clung on to power in the last couple of years.

I thoroughly recommend this book as it was a great read and a concise report of the man at the centre of this African country.

Interesting but incomplete - Rated
I have no connection to Zimbabwe, just a tourist who visited in the early 90s so had no particular bias pre-knowledge. I was looking forward to reading an informed book about the 'man' himself and gain an understanding of how he became what he is today. The book was interesting, contained selective information but did not give me any real understanding of Mugabe. The book was short-cut could have been much longer and really did not give a 'novice' on Mugabe any real insight into the man or Zimbabwe. Disappointed in the content, but even so the book was interesting and well written.

A timely interesting and apparently fair account - Rated
This well written, well presented and timely book has reached the market almost simultaneously in the U.K. and the U.S.A. (under different titles) shortly before the key Presidential elections in Zimbabwe. The author appears to have done careful research and reported very contentious topics reasonably fairly. The account is solid but gripping. Reading the book is easier because it is so well presented. Recommended if you have any interest in Zimbabwe.