When Robert Mugabe came to power in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) in 1980, the average life expectancy in the country was just under sixty. After his rule, or rather mismanagement, of the country for a little over a quarter of a century, the average life expectancy in Zimbabwe had almost halved. By 2006, the average Zimbabwean man could expect to live to thirty-seven. For women, life expectancy had fallen to thirty-four.

