Amidst the brutality and oppression of a racially divided South Africa, his was a voice strong and clear for justice and democracy. In 1984, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to resolve the "problem of apartheid" in South Africa. A decade later, President Mandela asked him to head the nation's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. But now while democracy's star burns bright in South Africa, it is fading in Zimbabwe.
This weekend's election was marred by violence and intimidation, and President Mugabe, once hailed as an African hero, appears to have snatched victory from the jaws of democracy, while bringing his country to the brink of economic collapse.
