Categories: Top story of the day

Comedy with a little distortion of history

Zimbabweans have a knack for laughing at themselves even when things are not going well and they should be moaning and groaning, according to a story by South Africa’s News 24.  One comedian is quoted as saying that Zimbabwe is the only country that will fail the simply test: Who is your former president?  "Zimbabweans, for all our literacy – with a 99.9995% literacy rate – we are the only country that will fail to answer a simple question: who is your former president?" he is quoted as saying in an apparent reference to President Robert Mugabe’s 35-year rule. “For many, Mugabe, who has been in power since independence in 1980, is the only leader they have known,” News24 says. But while Mugabe has been in power for 35 years, he has not been the country’s president for 35 years. He was Prime Minister for the first seven years.Zimbabwe’s first President was Canaan Banana who only stepped down in 1987 after the signing of the unity accord between the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front and the Zimbabwe African People’s Union. Indeed, Mugabe has held executive powers for 35 years, but Zimbabwe has a former president.

(282 VIEWS)

This post was last modified on %s = human-readable time difference 3:00 pm

Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

Share
Published by
Charles Rukuni

Recent Posts

Zimbabwe among the top countries with the widest gap between the rich and poor

Zimbabwe is among the top 30 countries in the world with the widest gap between…

November 14, 2024

Can the ZiG sustain its rally against the US dollar?

Zimbabwe’s battered currency, the Zimbabwe Gold, which was under attack until the central bank devalued…

November 10, 2024

Will Mnangagwa go against the trend in the region?

Plans by the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front to push President Emmerson Mnangagwa to…

October 22, 2024

The Zimbabwe government and not saboteurs sabotaging ZiG

The Zimbabwe government’s insatiable demand for money to satisfy its own needs, which has exceeded…

October 20, 2024

The Zimbabwe Gold will regain its value if the government does this…

Economist Eddie Cross says the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) will regain its value if the government…

October 16, 2024

Is Harare the least democratic province in Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, which is a metropolitan province, is the least democratic province in the…

October 11, 2024