WI: Robert Mugabe Dies in Prison in the Early 1970s?

Robert Mugabe was the only major black rhodesian leader who was openly contemptuous of democracy and negotiation. However, he only assumed true leadership of the Zanu-PF after he, along with saner rebel leader Joshua Nkomo, was released in a South African-brokerd peace deal in 1974. What if he had died of natural causes in prison in the early 1970s? Since the fall of the Rhodesian regime was inevitable by that point anyway (barring Smith growing a brain), majority rule would have been accomplished, but would've Nkomo or even Muzorewa ascended to power? Would have either of them run Zimbabwe better afterwards?
 
Who wouldn't have been better. An illiterate drunken hobo who's mind was half destroyed with syphilis would have been better.
 
There not be many who could have ruled Zimbabwe worse than Mugabe even if they would have tried.
 
You don't even need Mugabe to die in jail.

Avoid the death of his first wife, Sally Hayfron, in 1992, and things could be different. By all accounts she was a moderating influence on him, and perhaps encourages him to step down in 1995 or so. This may butterfly away the land invasions as well as Zimbabwe's involvement in the Congo Wards, which will all have significant implications for the country's economy in the future.
 
You don't even need Mugabe to die in jail.

Avoid the death of his first wife, Sally Hayfron, in 1992, and things could be different. By all accounts she was a moderating influence on him, and perhaps encourages him to step down in 1995 or so. This may butterfly away the land invasions as well as Zimbabwe's involvement in the Congo Wards, which will all have significant implications for the country's economy in the future.
Though that doesn't stop Gukurahundi. He already was a murderous thug, people only started noticing because he started targeting white farmers.
 
If we get say Murozewa, or maybe even Nkomo, there might be a different aporoach to land reform, one proposal being basically to scale back subsidies to white farmers and let the free market force white landowners to sell.
 
If we get say Murozewa, or maybe even Nkomo, there might be a different aporoach to land reform, one proposal being basically to scale back subsidies to white farmers and let the free market force white landowners to sell.

Why would we get either though?

It is almost a given that the first leader of Zimbabwe will be from ZANU, so that Muzorewa and Nkomo are counted out immediately. Perhaps Josiah Tongogara doesn't die in 1979? Then there is real opposition to Mugabe with ZANU from the beginning.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josiah_Tongogara
 
Isn't Zimbabwe still the major Cold War football in the region, maybe even more so without Mugabe? The Soviets are still next door, ready to support guerrillas upset with any accommodation made for the white population. The Chinese, too, are very much looking to spread their influence in this region. If accommodation is made, the British would play some active defense here. White nationalists who don't accept the accommodation will have backing from groups in South Africa. And the CIA's always ready to stir up some shit.

I'm certainly not suggesting the country won't be better off; of course it will be. I'm just imagining Zimbabwe as a major source of Cold War intrigue, which could possibly destabilize the country in unforeseen ways.
 
The problem Zimbabwe had was land redistribution was not done before independence as it happened in Ireland before independence.
Any leader would struggle with so few settlers having most of the best arable land.
It is hard to think of some worse than mugabe. I would have said that about saddam before he was replaced.
 
Top