Talk:Robert Mugabe

What happened to the "Sir" in Sir Robert Mugabe's name?

Censorship like the aforesaid truly cheapens the truthfulness of wikipedia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.5.239.132 (talk) 01:05, 22 December 2019 (UTC)

The late President Robert Gabriel Mugabe, GCB, received an honorary knighthood, Knight Commander of the Order of Bath. Because it is an honorary knighthood, the late President was not allowed to be addressed as Sir Robert. 83.84.100.133 (talk) 16:42, 22 July 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 7 May 2020

Robert Mugabe is the Former President of Zimbabwe and he WAS the former prime minister of Zimbabwe. Please edit Robert Mugabe- Former President of Zimbabwe on the cover page that appears first before you enter Wikipedia. Thank you --105.184.50.19 (talk) 18:08, 7 May 2020 (UTC)Dr G Macherechedze 105.184.50.19 (talk) 18:08, 7 May 2020 (UTC)

 Not done: The article lede already says he served as president. Not sure what "cover page" you are referring to. If you mean the Google Knowledge Graph that shows up in searches, then that is a Google issue not a Wikipedia issue. RudolfRed (talk) 18:19, 7 May 2020 (UTC)

New Main Infobox Image

We should change the lead infobox image to this. It’s relatively clear, it has the Zimbabwean flag in the background, it’s in color, and it was his first official portrait as Prime Minister. The current image has motion blur, it’s in B&W, and it was taken nearly a decade before he actually became Prime Minister. Thoughts? The Image Editor (talk) 18:10, 3 November 2020 (UTC)

• Oppose: bad colors, damaged photo, not actually identifiable as Zimbabwean flag, not an improvement. Elizium23 (talk) 21:53, 3 November 2020 (UTC)

File:Robert Mugabe official portrait.jpg

My proposal

• Oppose - Much poorer quality. No blur in current image. And what will it take to get you to understand that color is not always better? Sundayclose (talk) 19:20, 3 November 2020 (UTC)
• Support - this is an official photo of him as head of state, and it's in color. For an infobox, I think this better represents who Robert Mugabe was to the average person reading about him (i.e. he was much more notable for his 40-year tenure as prime minister than for his previous actions). I don't see how it's poorer quality. The current picture is higher resolution, sure, and it belongs in the article, but in the infobox? I dunno. jp×g 23:13, 8 November 2020 (UTC)
• Support / Oppose - I have made this observation above in this section. I also suggested that this photo is the ideal photo to use, as it is his official portrait as President. However, I agree with the comments above, that this rendering is of poor quality and the colours are off. If someone still has a copy of the portrait from a public building from before he was ousted, can they scan it in and upload it, using the {{PD-Zimbabwe}} copyright tag? Mangwanani ^(talk) 16:21, 5 May 2021 (UTC)

Distracting and misleading wording. Edit request

If I have missed the correct way to suggest editing, please put these suggestions in the correct place. 1. "he met a number of Jewish South African communists" Since there is no discussion of Jews or Jewish influence, the adjective "Jewish" here is a distraction, and for some, a disparagement. The text should be: "he met a number of South African communists" 2. "ordered a number of Marxist tracts—among them Karl Marx's Capital" "Tracts" makes the publications sound insubstantial and ephemeral. They are books. The text should be: "ordered a number of Marxist books—among them Marx's Capital" 3. "second degree by correspondence, this time a Bachelor of Administration from the University of London International Programmes through distance and learning." Wordy. A correspondence degree is distance learning. The text should be: "second degree by correspondence, this time a Bachelor of Administration from the University of London International Programmes. Mwalimu0 (talk) 18:39, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

Proposed Main Infobox Photo

My proposal

How about this main Infobox photo proposal for the article of Robert Mugabe? Got any thoughts? 2001:D08:D2:1FC9:298E:639D:B47D:B0C4 (talk) 14:38, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

New mainbox image

My proposal.

I think this particular photograph would be better for the infobox than the current one. Firekong1 (talk) 04:33, 27 June 2023 (UTC)

Oppose per MOS:PORTRAIT, It is often preferable to place a portrait (image or representation of a person) so that they "look" toward the text, but do not achieve this by reversing the image, which creates a false presentation. (Faces are never truly symmetric even in the absence of scars or other features.). ‑‑Neveselbert (talk · contribs · email) 15:37, 27 June 2023 (UTC)

Find a Grave website article which claims Robert Mugabe was buried in National Heroes Acre cemetery is false and should in no way be considered a reliable source

Zimbabawe government plans, which may or may not have have been the basis for this erroneous Find a Grave article,[1] were later altered.[2] The former Zimbabwe leader would instead be buried in his Kutama home.[3]Speakfor23 (talk) 18:34, 5 June 2024 (UTC)

It is good that Wikipedia has the Template:Find a Grave article which notes why Find a Grave can be an unreliable source.Speakfor23 (talk) 18:45, 5 June 2024 (UTC)

Error ... sorry semi-protected and I can't edit

Jerome O'Hea was born in Clapham, of Irish heritage ... see https://ordo.jesuitssouthern.africa/obit/12-03-1970%20%E2%80%93%20Jerome%20O_Hea.pdf

I could say more but article is semi-protected and I can't edit TGcoa (talk) 20:54, 6 September 2024 (UTC)

Official Portrait

The official portrait could be a more appropriate image for the main infobox.

Official portrait

Mangwanani ^(talk) 17:10, 11 June 2025 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

• Robert Mugabe Official Portrait (4x5 cropped).jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 18:22, 1 July 2025 (UTC)

Earned degrees

Mugabe's earned degrees have spawned a lot of confusion including in this article, not least because six of the seven were not taken in residence at the institutions but also confusion about how the University of London external degrees work (basically as an exam board with candidates either self-taught or learning at other institutions) and also the role of the colleges - the LSE issued a denial Mugabe was one of their alumni [4]. I suspect some of the biographies referenced here may have got confused as well, hence the claims he got both economics degrees in prison. These sites [5] [6] both list the universities and degrees as follows:

• Fort Hare - Bachelor of Arts
• University of South Africa - Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Administration
• University of London External Programme - Bachelor of Science (Economics), Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws, Master of Science (Economics)

Timrollpickering (talk) 11:47, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

Political violence and massacres by Mugabe

Where is the lengthy section describing the tens of thousands who were murdered as a direct result of Mugabe's dictatorship?

Matabeleland massacres --Gukurahundi (1983–1987). Widely regarded as the deadliest state-linked violence under Mugabe. Conducted by the North Korean-trained Fifth Brigade targeting alleged dissidents. Estimated deaths: 10,000 to 20,000 civilians.

Political violence (elections, repression, farm seizures) Includes killings of opposition supporters, activists, and protesters over decades.

Thousands of deaths attributable to Mugabe have been documented by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. ~2026-13455-54 (talk) 06:52, 2 March 2026 (UTC)