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"They told him: 'You have nothing left here'," said Sabri Nabawi, a local school principal, giving a history lesson from behind his desk.

The story may be apocryphal, a sign of the changing tide that swept the veteran leader from power, but the residents of Kafr el-Moseilha insist they are as pleased as any other town in Egypt to see Mubarak fall.

Once a small village from where a young Mubarak would set out every morning to attend school several kilometres away, Kafr el-Moseilha is now a large neighbourhood of the sprawling city of Shibin el-Kom.

Mubarak, born in 1928, left the village to go to military academy, from where he ascended to become air force chief and finally president. He would never return to visit, the residents complained.

The closest Mubarak came to visiting since he became president in 1981 was when he announced from Shibin el-Kom in 2005 that he would run for another term. He went to his old school, but stayed clear of Kafr el-Moseilha.

Residents say Mubarak was cold, imposing, like the large fresco of the veteran president that decorates the Hosni Mubarak youth club, next to the Hosni Mubarak school, not far from Hosni Mubarak Street.

"Mubarak always dealt with life like a pilot - always up in the air and distant from the people below. This wouldn't have happened to him if he weren't so distant," Nabawi says.

When it came to fealty to his hometown, Mubarak was very different from his predecessor Anwar Sadat, who built a villa in his and visited regularly.

Some claimed that Mubarak, always seen more as a lacklustre manager than as a charismatic president such as President Gamal Abdel Nasser and Sadat, avoided his town because he hated patronage.

One of several Mubarak relatives still in the town, his second cousin the lawmaker Amin Mubarak, claimed the leader was too busy to visit and hated doling out patronage because he "wanted to avoid corruption".

But others dismissed the idea that Mubarak had too much integrity to help out the town, where many streets were still unpaved.

"Look what he did for his sons," exclaimed Emad Salah, a pharmacist down the road from the Mubarak school, suggesting that anyone who could have shamelessly enriched his family could also have done something for former neighbours.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that the Egyptian army will need to stay on the streets until a disgraced police force recovers from the heavy damage inflicted by Egypt's turmoil - an uncomfortable burden for a military designed to fight foreign enemies, not crime.

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Mon May 20 19:59:27 SAST 2013 ::

Feb 14, 2011

Sgandy

once a revolutionary..got greedy and looted states money..enriching himself,croonies and his family..he remained too comfortable deluded that he will never be ousted..but the masses were slowly boiling and getting tired of his antics..the rest is history..a lesson to be learned by all the worlds leaders..especially those from liberation movements..the people can and will take you down if you keep screwing them..hope our rulling party is learning something.
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Feb 14, 2011

Torso

^^^ I agree.
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Feb 14, 2011

maphesana

SELFISH leader... i like the egyptains,they are united,us SA we complain and no do nothing about.God will deliver them from the hand of the so callled Mubarak
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Feb 14, 2011

Balikile

I think by now the Zimbabwean nationals must be aware that,it will only take themselves to sort out their problems with Mugabe.If the former Military head can be taken out of his confort zone,who is Mugabe that they are so scared of,not to even mention of how bad the situation is their country,haai man im so gatvol of their excuses,let them go back to Zim and finish up with that old man.
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Feb 14, 2011

TKay

All leaders are selfish...
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Feb 14, 2011

sugerbabes

I mean power corrupts absolutely (I think I read that somewhere on animal farm)this guy(Mubarak)has been appointing cabinet ministers ,giving his business partners have been receiving govt tenders stripping poor Egypt of her riches.makes me wanna say MXM!
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Feb 14, 2011

Papgat

On the 21 century Pharous was still at Egypt even during the time of Bible.I hope their time is over for ever!!!.
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Feb 14, 2011

Malapagalekane

This is a great lesson, the Zanu PFs of this world must learn that you can never oppress God's people forever,that you can never impose yourself on people against their will. I am happy for the Egiptians and commend them for their courageous and relentless toyi toyis that finally got rid of their savage leader.
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Feb 14, 2011

RazerCut

@ Tkay..i wonder whats your defination of a leader? these are not leaders...them just power hungry people...
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Feb 14, 2011

CheeseBoy

despite a few mishaps I applaud the Eqyptians for taking their future into their own hands and ridding themselves of a dictator without resorting to violence.

We South Africans could learn a lot from these people since all we mostly do is sit back and complain without really doing anything about what our govt is doing to us. I'm not saying we must running around demanding our Pres (as much as I don't like him) resign. but we must start learning and implementing what other countries are doing to effect real change in their lives.

Well done Egyptians. the Zimbos could learn a trick or two from you.
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