While it is with a sense of relief that, finally, freedom fighter Robert Mugabe resigned, it will be interesting to note his history and his final nemesis, which was the bling lifestyles of his children.
Brought up by his mother, it was the influence of an Irish Catholic priest, Father O’ Hea, who instilled in Mugabe the history of the Irish War of Independence – of how a nation revolted and gained its freedom from the British empire.
Later, having married Sally (Mugabe) Hayfron, a teacher and Ghanaian citizen, Mugabe was much impressed by the progress of Ghana after independence.
Together Sally and Mugabe were a formidable team and at one point the British almost deported Sally, who was also imprisoned and suffered at the hands of Ian Smith when Mugabe was incarcerated.
Sally Mugabe was known as Amai – Mother of the Nation.
This was the A-Team of Zimbabwe’s era after independence.
Post-independence Mugabe got the basics right with English as the medium of instruction, and Zimbabwe was a beacon to South Africans on how to see progress.
Former British prime minister Tony Blair’s tearing up of the Lancaster Agreement was a turning point in Zanu-PF's attitude.
Being a politician and a survivor, Mugabe outsmarted every rival and played every trick in the book. His support in his party was unquestionably strong.
Towards the end, it was his sons' flashy and extravagant lifestyles that was the final nail in the coffin.
Some may argue it was his second wife Grace, a typist, who felt the urge and was ready to be president.
It is worth noting her dairy farms/factory is among the largest in southern Africa, though there are issues around management and profitability.
However, just as the great Brother Leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, whose children had no issues with living ostentatiously – like paying Mariah Carey $1 million to sing four songs in St Barts in the Caribbean.
The controversial lifestyles of Gaddafi's children are well documented and coincidentally surfaced just before his collapse.
Similarly, the excesses of Mugabe's children in Joburg were seen as vulgar, obscene and totally out of place for a leader who ran a "poor" country.
Together with (Dis)Grace and her children, this was the final push where empathy and support for Mugabe evaporated and culminated in his overdue exit.