Inside the Mugabe dynasty

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1:00met its match, public backlash. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:11Khanyisile Ngcobo:Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service.

1:32Khanyisile Ngcobo:This is The Fifth Floor, at the heart of global storytelling with BBC journalists from all around the world. I'm your host, Faranak Amidi.

1:46Khanyisile Ngcobo:In 2017, shortly before Robert Mugabe resigned the presidency of Zimbabwe following a military takeover, Bilal Armin Mugabe, the youngest of his sons, posted a picture of himself wearing a flashy watch on social media, captioned with the words, $60 ,000 on the wrist when your daddy run the whole country, you know. He would later go on to post another video, this time showing him pouring champagne over yet another expensive watch. At the time of Mugabe Sr.'s resignation, the average weight for a low-skilled worker in Zimbabwe was just over$230 a month. Robert Mugabe himself died in 2019, but in the years since, his children with his former wife, Grace, have continued to make headlines.

2:39Khanyisile Ngcobo:Earlier this month, Bilarmin Mugabe pled guilty to a firearms offense in South Africa. And last year, his brother, Robert Jr., was convicted on drugs charges. The BBC's Khanesele Nkobo reports from South Africa and has been tracking the public's perception of the Mugabe family in Zimbabwe. But I began by asking her about the father of the dynasty, Robert Mugabe himself. So Robert Mugabe was former president of Zimbabwe, and he's known as the country's longest serving president. So he led the country from the time it gained independence. It used to be under British rule just until 2017 when he was removed by a military coup.

3:25So his decades long leadership, you know, it was marked by contrasting developments. initially when he came into power because of the role he played in securing independence for his country. He was seen as a liberation icon. He was greatly admired and he really was seen as someone who was fighting against oppression and racism and wanted to advance his country's interests. I mean, the first few decades of his rule or rather his presidency were marked by great advancements in the country. He expanded health care and education for many of the country's black majority population who you'll understand had been oppressed and marginalized prior to that.

4:08So he played a key role in that. In actual fact, in 1995, the World Bank lauded Zimbabwe for its rapid progress in these advancements. And at that point, it was known for having the highest literacy rates in Africa. That was how he was viewed initially, but that turned in the early 2000s when his leadership, you know, when he became known as an authoritarian and for brutal suppression of opposition. He ushered in an era of land seizures and economic decline for the country and just his refusal to relinquish power. You know, we saw how, you know, the seizure of white-owned land occurred with total disregard of the impact that it would have on the economy.

4:52So for the last few years of his life, that's how he was seen. But his image was somewhat rehabilitated when he passed on because his role in fighting oppression and racism and for helping secure independence with Zimbabwe came back to the fore.

5:07Khanyisile Ngcobo:And what about his family? Are his family well-known and in the public eye? So yes I mean for many years they were well-known because for many Zimbabweans this was the only first family they knew. So initially you know his first wife Sally when he led Zimbabwe post-independence she was by his side but she would fall ill within the decade and pass on and he would then become involved with Grace and they would have their family. So she also became well known. But over the years, although Mugabe remained the most well known family member, their exploit, their run ins or brush ins with the law and their perception with the public would sort of start competing, you know, with his popularity in the country, for lack of a better word.

5:55So they would be known as well for their exploits just as much as for being a part of the first family. And you mentioned his second wife, Grace. So what do we know about her? So with Grace, we know how their relationship started. They met in the late 1980s. She worked as a typist in the state house, and that's how they first met. And at the time, his first wife, who I must say was, you know, much loved, was seen as, you know, a good influence on her husband. She was unwell, you know, and it was widely known. So they became involved. They would go on to have two children before they got married in 1996 in what was labeled a lavish affair.

6:32But in those initial years, she was seen just as there to support her husband. She wasn't as vocal. She was known for her charity work. But then that took a turn in the late 2010s when she started making headlines in her own right. So she was now known as this extravagant shopper. She got all sorts of nicknames, including Gucci Grace and the first shopper for her extravagance. And of course, her run-ins with the law. You know, in 2009, she assaulted a photographer while she was in Hong Kong after she accused this photographer of harassing her and her family. And, you know, it marked a shift as well because she then became more public and vocal and she started positioning herself as a politician.

7:17So she was seen at her husband's side speaking and it sort of gave the impression or she touted herself as his successor. and that would mark the next decade or so until her husband was removed from power. That would mark her role and the reputation that she got.

7:33Khanyisile Ngcobo:And Mugabe had two sons as well, Belamine and Robert Jr. So yes, so like Mugabe's wife, they grew up in a lap of luxury. Their lives were different from ordinary Zimbabweans. So even as the country declined, people got poorer, his family stayed cocooned and that's what shaped their upbringing. and I think especially towards the end of their father's life, they would be known for their various run-ins with the law. So Robert Mugabe Jr. was convicted of drug possession. But Bellarmine, their youngest son, he's been arrested on assault charges on several occasions. But they're also known for their lavish spending and lifestyle.

8:16In 2017, Bellarmine seemed to be mocking ordinary citizens. speaking of how he's wearing this expensive watch because his father's a president. So they've just been known to just show off their extravagant lifestyles and not care how it's perceived by the public. And it seemed that they were raised with a sense of impunity that I'm the president's child. You know, nothing can happen to me. And so far, you know, from what we've seen up until I think in recent years, it seemed they would get away with virtually anything.

8:48Khanyisile Ngcobo:And what about the public reaction to this extravagance? How do people react?

9:18known as this academic, someone who loved learning, whereas his children just took on, you know, the opposite role. And, you know, although I think initially their parents would try to shield them, it seems that now it's just becoming more apparent and more public. There's always criticism and there's always this question of why are they treated as being above the law.

9:40Khanyisile Ngcobo:And Mugabe also had a daughter, Bona. What do we know about her? How old is she? And is she also a public figure? So yes, Bonner is the oldest. And interesting enough, Bonner stands in contrast to her brothers. She's kept mostly out of the, you know, the limelight. But what was interesting was, you know, so she's in the process of divorcing from her husband. And when that matter went to court, there were a number of revelations that came out, including how much personal wealth she has amassed. So she's not as controversial, but it seems if these court records are to be believe that, you know, she has benefited just as much as her brothers and her mother from her father's presidency.

10:24Khanyisile Ngcobo:Do you think that Mugabe's family's lifestyle and behavior has affected his legacy? Definitely, definitely. I mean, we'll remember earlier in the conversation, We spoke of him as this liberation figure, well known for his love of education and how he advanced that. And to then have a family that is seemingly the exact opposite of that, it has affected his image and how he's seen. And I think just how they are continuing in that because their legal troubles did not stop with these deaths. You know, there really wasn't an attempt to rehabilitate their image and sort of honor his legacy in a way that, you know, would speak positively to him.

11:12Definitely the way they've conducted themselves, the cases they've been involved in has affected how people still now, you know, view Robert Mugabe and his legacy.

11:23Khanyisile Ngcobo:Thanks to Khanesele Mkobo.

11:28Khanyisile Ngcobo:In Indonesia, a woman in her mid-50s called Farida, living in the remote province of East Kalimantan, has become a social media sensation, gathering millions of likes and thousands of comments for her posts about her daily life. Indonesians call her Emma Farida or Mother Farida. For the fifth floor, BBC Indonesians Lestia Kertopati explains the secret of her appeal. Farida started her first post in the end of January 2026. And she's always starting her video with, Hi, my online children, do you want to hear a story from this mother in a remote village in East Kalimantan? and I think that's what makes people really relate to her.

12:30She's wearing a very long hijab. It's really mother-like. It's like a typical mothers of Indonesia. And she's doing the daily life of every mothers in Indonesia. So she's cooking, she's taking water from the well, she's shopping in the market. And while doing it, she's having this very lovely narrative with her very soothing voice. How to cook a fish, how you preserve fish in a village without electricity.

13:04Farida lives in a very remote place called Dusun Longjok or Longjok Village in East Kalimantan province in Indonesia. So East Kalimantan is a very far place from Indonesian capital Jakarta. If you fly there, you need like four or five hours flying. And to reach her village, You need to do like road trip. Iskali Mantan is really one of massive provinces in Indonesia, and it's really rich with minerals. They have a lot of minings. But what makes it really contrast is this rich province still have villages like Dusun Longjok that have no electricity, they have very limited facility. Even there's no school there, and there's no clinics.

13:53So if the children of the Long Dog Village want to go to school or people need medical attention, they have to cross the river and go to the next village. There is one thing that Farida shared on her content in social media is how she can make content in a remote village with no electricity. And people say like, do you have internet? How you can get internet? And she said it's a very simple technology.

14:25So she put an internet modem and also a power bank inside a plastic jar to cover it from the rain. And then she hoisted that jar with like around 10 meters bamboo. And she tied it up in a very high tree to get a better signal, to get a better network. And with that simple technology, she could have like 12 hours of internet if the power bank is fully charged. And then people start asking, where do you live? Why there's no electricity? And from there, her content is explaining of the way she lives and why her village has not any facilities. It really shocked many Indonesians. The governor of her province lived really lavishly.

15:14But there's this one woman living in the remote village in that really rich province that have a really contrast lifestyle. She lives really modestly with what she has and she's still grateful for that. And maybe because of that, people really relate to her. lordy samping rumah.

16:04taking care of the family. So I think it's one of her strengths in her content to make people all around Indonesia feeling they have online mother.

16:16Khanyisile Ngcobo:Thanks to Lestia Kertopati. You're listening to the documentary from the BBC World Service.

16:34Hey there, this is Thomas Germain, co-host of The Interface, the show that decodes how technology is rewiring your week and your world. On this week's episode, Apple's CEO is resigning, and we'll look at what that means for the future of smartphones. We'll talk about whether your latest favorite band is actually a secret marketing ploy, and how the AI data center boom has finally met its match, public backlash. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

17:12Khanyisile Ngcobo:This is The Fifth Floor, and I'm Farina Kami Di.

17:19Khanyisile Ngcobo:Ethiopia finally ended a long and brutal civil war in 1991, when the Tigray People's Liberation Front, TPLF, overthrew Ethiopia's then-ruler Mengistu Haile Mariam. The TPLF went on to dominate Ethiopian politics until 2018, when current Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office following huge demonstrations against its repressive rule. The TPLF then retreated to its stronghold of Tigray and had a massive fallout with Abiy over the future direction of the country. Conflict between the two sides then broke out in 2020. It ended two years later following a peace deal brokered by the African Union, who put the number of people who died in the conflict at around 600 ,000.

18:10Khanyisile Ngcobo:But tensions in the country are starting to rise again, leaving many to worry that more fighting is possible in the future. Hannah Zaratzion of BBC Tigrinia wanted to speak to women who fought for the TPLF in 2020. One of the women she spoke to was called Abiba, who told Hannah that until she joined the fight herself, she was never a believer in war. I asked Hannah to tell me more. Abiba's parents are among the many families in northern Ethiopia, Stigray, who have been through a 17-year brutal civil war. So in our conversation, Ababa was referring to the fact that her father bore the scars of this long war that finally ended in 1991.

18:57And Ababa grew up in a household where loss, grief and trauma caused by war were felt and experienced deeply. and in our interview she said that she never knew why at times her father used to get angry or emotional until she experienced war and its trauma herself so she said it was at that time that she started to feel where her father's emotional reactions were coming from and she She expressed that her father never healed from his traumatic experiences.

19:36Khanyisile Ngcobo:Ababa decides to join the army in 2020. Why did she choose to do that? For Ababa, the call to arm was not just a choice. According to her, one, it was a kind of an inheritance of duty. As I mentioned earlier, growing up in a household steeped in stories where fighting for freedom is depicted as heroism, she was raised on stories of her father's sacrifice. But her decision to join the war that ended almost four years ago now is it was a desperate response to the fear of being a victim of rape as she became aware of women who were sexually abused during the course of the war. So during the two-year conflict in northern Ethiopia, different reports by the United Nations human rights organizations and journalists indicated that there was a systematic rape of women by Ethiopian soldiers as well as their allies from neighboring Eritrea and militia groups from neighboring region Amhara.

20:53At the same time, forces from Tigray have also been accused of sexually assaulting women in Amhara region as they made a push towards Ethiopia's capital. So this attacks and the kind of distractions of public resources by fighting groups were the reasons that made her join the fight. And what was Abeba's life before she joined the army? She was a student at a college studying information technology. And she was also a rising football star, I can say. She told me that she grew up playing football since age of seven. And she eventually became a striker for the sub-underter female football team at 17.

21:40She was chasing her dream profession and studies and living the life of a 17-year-old young female optimistic person. And once the war was over back in 2022, was Abeba able to go back to the life she had before? Unfortunately, returning to her family and career in football were the toughest times for her. in our interview she described the the bitter impact she absorbed by saying my body and my mind are traumatized she found herself exhausted she said the environment was not welcoming to her and she felt isolated because you know some joined the conflict some stayed behind right so for her she said her behavior completely changed.

22:39She felt misunderstood by those who hadn't shared her experience on the battlefield and she felt some of her traumas were never going to be healed. She told me that she couldn't focus on something she had loved since her early days which was football. So she started to run a small initiative to mentor teenagers in football, but that she couldn't sustain it due to financial challenge and her own emotional stability. So this, this all experiences made it difficult for her once she returned from the conflict.

23:21Khanyisile Ngcobo:And Ababa also expressed her worry and anxiety about war breaking out again in the country. What is happening currently in Ethiopia that makes her worry about that? Despite the war ended and guns falling silent almost four years ago, politically in the country, there is still a normality between Tigray's regional authorities and the federal government of Ethiopia. oftentimes officials in Tigray accuses the central government in Addis Ababa of disrupting essential public things like health and education funds and the country is also heading towards elections in June and we don't see any indications that elections will be held in Tigray and on the other hand at the moment the federal government accuses the TPLF of forming a relationship with external forces in this case is the leadership of a neighboring country Eritrea.