Christmas is a time of giving. So when headlines like: “Dictator Mugabe got many gifts”, “secret files reveal gifts given to Mugabe”, and “files reveal Mugabe gifts rundown”, one would have thought these were gifts Mugabe received this Christmas. But they are gifts that he received 31 years ago when he was still prime Minister of Zimbabwe and visited Ireland. And the gifts are Waterford Crystal bowl and a vase. The “exclusive” glassware is reported to have been bought for the equivalent of €1 485 today. Mugabe’s delegation is reported to have been “showered” with gifts that included crystal honey pots, vases, compote and salad bowls, butter dishes, an Irish linen place mat set, and flowers for Mugabe’s first wife, Sally. The gifts are supposed to have been “revealed” under the Irish government’s 30-year. But probably the bone of contention is that Mugabe is reported to have been given more gifts than then United States Vice-President George Bush Snr whose gifts were valued at only the equivalent of €776.
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