Former Zimbabwean leader and ex-dictator ROBERT Mugabe has died aged 9. He had been battling serious ill health since November and had been in and out of hospital since then.
According to a statement by the current President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe passed away in Singapore surrounded by his family including wife Grace.
Robert Mugabe became Zimbabwean Prime Minister at independence in 1980 and had ruled the country with iron hand ever since until a People’s Revolution brought his regime to an abrupt end in 2017. Mugabe had also abolished the Office of Prime Minister to appoint himself President of Zimbabwe in 1987.
MUGABE WITH MARGARET THATCHER
According to the former President’s family, Mugabe had been unable to walk since November and many believed he had been receiving treatment in Singapore since April. The immediate cause of his demise is however not yet clear. President Mnangagwa had also said in November that Mugabe was unable to walk due to ill-health.
WITH GRACE 
WITH SALLY
Although he was the grand hero of the Zimbabwean fight for independence and had at the inception of his Presidency given so much promise, four decades of dictatorial rule soon became a nightmare for his country, culminating in his ouster by popular uprising in 2017.
In a tweet this morning, President Mnangagwa said: “It is with the utmost sadness that I announce the passing on of Zimbabwe’s founding father and former President, Cde Robert Mugabe. Cde Mugabe was an icon of liberation, a pan-Africanist who dedicated his life to the emancipation and empowerment of his people. His contribution to the history of our nation and continent will never be forgotten. May his soul rest in eternal peace.â€
WITH PUTIN 
WITH POPE FRANCIS
THE MAN MUGABE
Mr Mugabe, born 21 February 1924, was a communist and nationalist revolutionary.
In the 1970s he led a guerrilla campaign against the minority white government in what was then known as Rhodesia.
HAVING A GOOD LAUGH BEHIND THE QUEEN
In 1979, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced that the UK would officially recognise Rhodesia’s independence if it moved to democratic majority rule.
Mugabe was elected Prime Minister the following year when his ZANU-PF secured 63 per cent of the national vote.
He clung to power by crushing opposition through constitutional changes and cracking down on dissent with state force.
Mugabe abolished the Office of Prime Minister to appoint himself President of Zimbabwe in 1987.
During his lifetime, Mugabe married Grace, his former secretary who he began an affair with in 1987 while his first wife Sally (nee Hayfron).
The couple – who had a 41 year age gap – had a daughter Bona, born in 1988, son Robert, born in 1990, and youngest son Bellarmine, born in 1997.
In 1992, Mugabe’s wife Sally died. Four years later, Mugabe and Grace were married.
The Mugabe family had become known for displaying their lavish lifestyle on social media, with Grace and her children often seen wearing designer clothes.
AS REPORTED BY SOLA OJEWUSI WITH ADDITIONAL DETAIL BY THE SUN.
