Zimbabwe’s embattled leader Robert Mugabe, who ruled the country for 37 years, once took part in a lottery organised by a partly state-owned bank
African leader’s chutzpah
In a remarkable coincidence, Mugabe himself hit the jackpot of 100,000 Zimbabwe dollars (about $2,600). The lottery was organised by the Zimbabwe Banking Corporation (Zimbank) in January 2000. “Master of Ceremonies Fallot Chawawa could hardly believe his eyes when the ticket drawn for the Z$100,000 prize was handed to him and he saw His Excellency RG Mugabe written on it,” the bank said in a statement then
The lottery was open to all clients who had kept Z$5,000 or more in their accounts, BBC had reported. The bank, probably in an attempt to douse suspicion, said Mugabe’s name had been drawn from among thousands of eligible customers. At that time, more than half of the workforce in the country was unemployed and minimum wages per month was just Z$1,000 ($26)
A deal for immunity
Now, the leader is trying hard to cling on to his ‘hard-earned’ assets. According to CNN, Zimbabwe’s generals, who have seized power, “have given into many of Mugabe’s demands, including full immunity for himself and his wife Grace, and that he would keep his private properties”