Rides of Heads of State (Part 3)

I now take you to sub-Saharan Africa. The operative word for today is "WaBenzi". It is a Swahili term that describes the ultra-rich and the ultra-corrupt, i.e. those who ride in chauffeured Benz'. Researching these leaders' rides have made me physically ill. The injustice is beyond words. In retrospect, I admire Lula for picking a lowly Chevy.

12. Zimbabwe. Mugabe the land reformer rides in perhaps the most fuel inefficient passenger car in the world. His Mercedes S600 Pullman weighs 5 tons, with armor. It is propelled by a 7.3 liter twin turbocharged V12. But with that gargantuan engine lugging that much mass, each tankful of petrol will only move the car 200 kilometers. Truly atrocious (the car, not Mugabe, of course).

13. South Africa. Mbeki is transported in a Mercedes S600L. The question is, which one. Research has turned up stories about numerous S600s "given" to Mbeki. One was a gift from the people of Libya. Another by a favor-seeking contractor. Mbeki was accused of "test driving" a third S600 for six months. The test drive lasted so long, in fact, Mbeki had bulletproof glass installed in the car.

Typical South African motorcade

14. Swaziland. King Mswati III takes the cake. In this, the last absolute monarchy of Africa, the king bought himself a Maybach 62 (a glorified Mercedes). Not being selfish, he also bought each of his ten wives a BMW X5. What's wrong with this picture? The country lives in abysmal poverty; the average life expectancy hovers between 32 and 33 years; and 38.8% of its people suffer from HIV.

15. Kenya. Mwai Kibaki was elected into office in 2002 on a platform of fighting corruption. He criticized the incumbents and their massive fleet of E220 Benz'. When Kibaki swept into power, he ditched the E220s and replaced them with E240s. And for himself, an S600L, of course. What else but the best from the land of the original WaBenzi.

16. Rwanda. Paul Kagame gives us some small glimmer of hope. Though his ride is a black Mercedes Cross Country (a Gelandewagen), he actually drives himself. Though he is no angel, he is much more grounded than his peers.

CKY