In This Month: March

Mugabe Becomes Zimbabwean Leader
Robert Mugabe won a sweeping election on 4th March 1980 to become Zimbabwe's first black prime minister, later president. In the first election since the end of white rule in Zimbabwe, Mugabe's African National Union (Patriotic Front) party or Zanu (PF) stormed into power – a position they have held now for more than 25 years.

During recent years, his administration has been accused of corruption, suppression of political opposition and economic mismanagement, with Zimbabwe having the highest inflation rate in the world and the population suffering a massive starvation crisis. In addition, Mugabe has resurrected land redistribution as an issue and many white farmers have been violently forced to leave the country. This photograph was taken of Mugabe in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare in October 2006 – in a week when he should have been attending an Africa-France summit to which he was not invited.