The recall of South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma, by the ruling political party today, rekindled the dream of a new generation of African Leaders. Once again, another old leader was reminded that the office of the president does not operate under the archaic theories of monarchy. It is a huge reminder to the leaders since yester-years that they cannot eliminate the rise of the leaders of tomorrow.
The recall reminds the general public of some leaders that required massive collective support before they could be impeached. It reminds us of a good number of old African leaders that tried almost every possible means to retain the office of the president for themselves and their loved ones. Some of them are:
1. Charles Taylor(1990-2003)Liberia: Charles Taylor became the president of Liberia in 1990 after the gruesome murder of Samuel Doe. Charles Taylor eventually resigned in 2003, after his greed for power caused the second Liberian Civil War(1999-2003). He handed over power to his vice president, Moses Blah, before seeking asylum in Nigeria where he was arrested after attempting to escape.He is currently serving a 50 year jail term in the United Kingdom after he was convicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
2. Muammar Gadaffi (1969-2011)Libya: The long-standing North-African leader governed Libya as Revolutionary Chairman of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977, then as the “Brotherly Leader” of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011. He was bent on retaining power by all means, and was eventually killed on 20th of October 2011.
3. Hosni Mubarak (1981-2011)Egypt: The Warlord turn political leader, was another North-African leader that wanted to remain in power by all means. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011. He was forced to step down after the 18 days nationwide protest during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011.
4. Robert Mugabe (1980-2017)Zimbabwe: It will be impossible to complete this list without enlisting the name of the 93-year-old ex-president of Zimbabwe. His story is still very fresh in our minds. The nation eventually required the combined efforts of the military and a number of top-politicians to force Mugabe to step down.
5. Jacob Zuma (2009-till date)South Africa: Though the likes of Laurent Gbagbo (Ivory Coast) and Yahya Jammeh (Gambia) have not been listed, the list comes back to the man-of-the-day (Jacob Zuma). He is the fourth and current President of South Africa since the 2009 general election and now in his second 5-year term. His resignation has been demanded by the public for a good number of reasons, but Zuma remained adamant and now, he is on the verge of being booted out.
Photo Credit: Getty
