Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Mugabe Love Story Sparked Hatred of UK

In the 1960s, he begged London not to deport his wife

By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser User

Posted Apr 6, 2008 3:40 PM CDT
Email

(Newser) – Robert Mugabe's hatred of the British may have stemmed from an affair of the heart, reports the Independent. Newly released letters from the 1960s show the future tyrant openly begged London not to deport his then-wife, Sally Mugabe, who had fled Rhodesia in the 1960s when he was jailed for anti-colonial activities. "It is certainly unfair for the British government to add to the misery of her already broken life," Mugabe wrote.

But his letters turned prickly as London stalled. "It is clear to me that the Home Office is hanging on to legal technicalities completely deprived of morality," he wrote to PM Harold Wilson. London let her stay in the end, and Mugabe reunited with Sally, who became the first lady of Zimbabwe. But Mugabe never forgot his treatment by No. 10 Downing Street, when he and his love were most vulnerable.

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, centre, meets with head of the African Union Observer Mission members at Zimbabwe House in Harare, Thursday, April, 3, 2008.
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, centre, meets with head of the African Union Observer Mission members at Zimbabwe House in Harare, Thursday, April, 3, 2008.   (Associated Press)
President Robert Mugabe prepares to address the crowd at his last rally in Harare, Friday, March, 28, 2008.
President Robert Mugabe prepares to address the crowd at his last rally in Harare, Friday, March, 28, 2008.   (Associated Press)
Mugabe campaigns in Zimbabwe in this file photo.
Mugabe campaigns in Zimbabwe in this file photo.   (Getty Images )
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, left, and his wife Grace, right, react during a visit to Harare hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe, Thursday, March 27, 2008.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, left, and his wife Grace, right, react during a visit to Harare hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe, Thursday, March 27, 2008.   (AP Photo)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

Mugabe opposition to force recount
International Herald Tribune

Zimbabwe may attract investors
Reuters

 
Zimbabwe • Robert Mugabe • United Kingdom • letters • deportation • Rhodesia • Sally Hayfron • correspondence • Harold Wilson

More Newser Stories

Cholera Caused By 'Genocidal' Brits: Mugabe

Mugabe Packs Voter Rolls With Zombies

Rhodesian PM Ian Smith Dies at 88
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne