Mugabe's Zimbabwe

While many commentators on the right remain silent about Mugabe's repeated human rights abuses (search Mugabe on Melanie Phillips' page and you get TWO hits. Two hits in nearly four years of posting), Chris McGreal paints a vivid picture of the disastrous effects of Mugabe's dictatorship in today's Guardian. Here are a few statistics:

37 Life expectancy at birth in Zimbabwe
60 Average life expectancy in 1990
81 The infant mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 live births), compared with 53 in 1990
$340 The national income, per person, compared with $4,960 in South Africa
5.5m Zimbabweans live with HIV
1.1 m Children have been orphaned by Aids
6 People out of every 100 have a phone, compared with 47 in South Africa
56% Of the population earn less than $1 a day, compared with 11% of South Africans

· Source: Unicef