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Zimbabwe’s first black Test cricketer Henry Olonga, who had been forced to flee the state after protesting against Robert Mugabe, says he chooses»no joy» in the ex-president’s departure.
Mugabe died aged 95 on Friday.
He had been ousted during a military coup at 2017 years of violent repression and economic ruin.
«Folks have been saying perhaps I will have a drink for a toast, however I have no pleasure from his passing,» Olonga stated.
«In fact, it makes me unbelievably sad, because for all he might have represented,» he neglected to scale the peaks of someone like Nelson Mandela. He turned into a megalomaniac, a power-hungry tyrant, a dictator and a guy who subjugated his own people while purporting to be representing them»
Olonga, who currently lives in Adelaide, Australia, wore a black armband in support of a pro-democracy demonstration in Harare in the 2003 Cricket World Cup, that has been hosted by Zimbabwe, Kenya and South Africa.
He had been joined by captain Andy Flower, along with the group issued a statement to journalists in the Harare Sports Club in which they surmised that the»death of democracy» in their symbolism.
The action made headlines — and effectively ended their careers.
Olonga was exiled from his homeland and faced death threats, fleeing to England and never playing for Zimbabwe.
In his early presidency Mugabe has been praised for gaining entry to health and education however after years have been marked by violent repression of their political opponents and Zimbabwe ruin.
Olonga, the country’s first black cricketer, stated he’s equipped to»give credit where it’s due».
«He was critical in helping Zimbabwe attain its liberty and freedom,» Olonga, 43, informed PA news service.
«He ensured that black folks who didn’t possess it in the 1960s and 1970s could have the right to vote, although of course even the very early elections the individual Zimbabwe had were marred with alleged incidents of voter intimidation and violence.
«He was one of the liberation war heroes and that won’t ever be taken away from him. But regrettably the legacy of this guy is that he’ll be remembered as a vicious tyrant and dictator.»
In 2013, to get a particular BBC 5 Live programme aired 10 years after the renowned black armband protest, former England head coach Flower reported a farming friend influenced by Mugabe’s land reforms said that it had been his»moral duty not to move about his business as usual during the World Cup», and that this changed his own perspective of Zimbabwe.
Flower knew the odds of engaging the entire group in a protest were remote, so he decided to strategy Olonga.
«I believed Henry may grab the concept and also have the courage of his own convictions to have a stand,» added Flower.
«I also thought the simple fact that it would be just one white Zimbabwean plus one black one operating together gave the concept the most eloquent balance.»
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