No Robert Mugabe Did Not Say These Things: How To Spot A Fake Robert Mugabe Quote

You all remember Robert Mugabe right? I mean come on we literary did not go to work on his birthday like a few weeks ago. Guy used to be president you would see him country and globetrotting in his famous Armani and other rich label suits as he sprinted up plane steps-quite energetic for a nonagenarian don’t you think.

Robert Mugabe is also known for his nothing held back speeches where he eerr held nothing back and spoke his mind in his easily recognised staccato baritone. Over the years the man said some outrageous things and spoke truth to power.

There has however been a rise on social media of the most outrageous quotes supposedly of Mugabe origins. I know my country is often the butt of jokes but I think some of these jokes go too far and indeed some people are taking up these fake quotes as actual truth.

I take particular offence at blogs from countries like Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and nearby countries. A number of blogs from these countries carry an assortment of quotes usually of a “relationship advice nature” which they attribute to Robert Mugabe.

No Robert Mugabe did not say this

If u r a married man but u still attracted to school girls, buy ur wife a school uniform~Robert Mugabe #quote
— Bbosa (@CKbbosa) March 16, 2016

For the avoidance of doubt, His former excellency ( is that what he is called?) never said anything resembling this. Nor did he say any of the following things:

If you are ugly, you are ugly. Stop talking about inner beauty because men do not walk around with X-ray machines to see inner beauty.[There is a video doing rounds saying he said this. He didn’t.]
Whenever things seem to start going well in your life, the devil comes along and gives you a girlfriend.

Okay, the rest of these misogynistic quotes are not even fit to appear on this here. In case you are wondering here is how to spot a fake Robert Mugabe quote: If it has nothing to do with politics, Marxism, colonialism, equality, pan Africanism or telling white people off he almost certainly did not say whatever it is he is being accused of saying. In fact, the man was not known for his relationship advice.

Robert Mugabe for all his faults does not appear to have been a misogynist. He is just a bigger than life character along the lines of what Che Guevara was to South America. A bigger than life character whose notoriety is being exploited to give credence to socially unacceptable ideas.