5. Robert Mugabe - Zimbabwe
Robert Mugabe is a very old man who is President of Zimbabwe. He has been President since 1979 due to his role in fighting against white colonial presence in what was then known as Rhodesia. He has held onto his lofty position due to vote-rigging and intimidation against the opposition. A very clever man, Mugabe holds several degrees, including two law degrees. It's a shame he can't put his knowledge to purposeful use instead of clinging onto his dictatorship. An example of bad behaviour from Mugabe is his 1982 genocide in Matabeleland, a province in Zimbabwe, in which he was responsible for the deaths of approximately 20,000 people. Due to his policies, Zimbabwe has the highest infant mortality rate in Africa, but given his love of education, there is a literacy rate of 90% - the highest in Africa. Lots of people (including the Ugandan born Archbishop of York) have called Mugabe out for having racial bias against white people. He in turn accuses the UK and western world of having an imperialist approach in Africa despite the fact colonisation ended in 1979. Mugabe once compared himself to 'Hitler tenfold' at the funeral of a cabinet minister. Mugabe hates homosexuality and referred to gays and lesbians as 'worse than dogs and pigs'. One of the most egregious policies of Mugabe was the land reform he implemented. Yes, it is true that colonial people had access to the best land and this fact would come back to haunt them in 2005 whenever Mugabe began Operation Murambatsvina (literally 'Drive out the Rubbish') in English. He destroyed a shanty town - leaving 400,000 people homeless and without income. His actions are said to have negatively affected 2.4 million people. Mugabe redistributed colonial owned land to black Zimbabweans using methods of torture and violence. Time and time again he has had 'elections' and despite a vigorous opposition to him including Movement For Democratic Change, Mugabe wins through intimidation and vote-rigging. Mugabe is responsible for bringing Zimbabwe to its knees. He is widely internationally condemned. He continues to blame colonialism, and especially the UK for Zimbabwe's problems, but in reality, the vast majority of the blame rests on his shoulders for his racist and ill thought out, repressive policies. His first wife was a political activist but died tragically young. After she died, Mugabe married a woman dubbed 'Gucci Grace'. It could be the case that Grace exerts a lot of power over Mugabe and she is extremely greedy for money. She earned the name Gucci Grace for her lavish shopping sprees all over Europe whilst the average Zimbabwean starved. So to sum it up, Mugabe is a racist clown who practically killed Zimbabwe as being 'the bread basket of Africa'. Although he is an old old man, he desperately clings to power when he should be living in a time share in Florida. He has behaved abominably over the years perpetrating acts of genocide, forced land redistribution, racist policies and he has incurred a lot of economic sanctions from many countries. This has been to the detriment to the average Zimbabwean, many of whom are anti-Mugabe but cannot express their disgust at him due to highly factitious election results. One of the most despicable men in Africa.