Amazing Grace Mugabe on the rise 2014-12-05 15:00 Harare - From lowly typist to presidents wife, dairy farm owner, orphanage founder and about-to-be head of her husbands powerful womens movement, Grace Mugabes transformation has been nothing less than amazing. Until this year, the South African-born mother-of-four appeared to have her ambitions firmly set on her burgeoning business projects: her Alpha Omega dairy, set up on a seized white farm in Mazowe, central Zimbabwe. Her orphanage next door. Her private school at that orphanage, where fees - for those who pay them - are far from minimal. State ZBC TV regularly films the First Lady showing visiting dignitaries and African leaders spouses round her state-of-the-art milking parlour or cuddling her charges. These images are far removed from the unfortunate ones taken of the presidents wife shopping in foreign capitals during Zimbabwes post-2000 crisis or - infamously- punching a photographer in Hong Kong in 2009. Grace has reinvented herself - in ways very few Zimbabweans foresaw. In July, five months after she threw her and President Robert Mugabes only daughter Bona a lavish $5m wedding party, the First Lady burst onto Zimbabwes tumultuous political stage. Did she want to be president? She was nominated to lead Zanu-PFs womens league, a position that automatically gives her a seat on the presidents Soviet-style politburo. Two months later, she was controversially awarded a PhD in sociology by the University of Zimbabwe, a move analysts believed hinted at the scale of Graces ambition. The ruling party had long been able to taunt presidential hopeful Morgan tsvangirai of the opposition Movement for Democratic for his lack of university education (Tsvangirai, who has lost three elections to Mugabe, now has two honorary PhDs). With her PhD already in the bag, Grace could make her intentions clear. Also read : Grace Mugabe: From First Shopper to Mrs President? So did she want to be president? People say I want to be president, why not? Am I not Zimbabwean? she said in October. Quickly, relentlessly, Dr Amai (Dr Mother) as Zimbabweans now jokingly refer to her set about dismantling the reputation of the one woman who stood in her way: Vice President Joice Mujuru, one of two main contenders to succeed the ageing president. Mujuru stinks, the First Lady told a rally in decidedly un-First Ladyish language: the vice president was corrupt, she wore a miniskirt in the presence of a young man, she had spoken ill of the first couple. As bemused Zimbabweans watched, even buying a bottle of orange juice became a political statement. The most popular local brand is Mazoe Crush. But supporters of the First Lady seized on the squat plastic bottles as their mascots. For some time its been possible for Zimbabweans to quietly state their opposition to the Mugabes by boycotting Alpha Omega milk. Now locals choice of soft drink is similarly politically charged. Ive got brains in my head Food and the family were Graces themes long before her political ambitions were revealed. She enjoys growing her own vegetables. Not only that, she declared in a 2011 interview, she has taught her sons Bellarmine and Robert Junior to cook. Bellarmine was born after the president married Grace in 1996. Robert and Bona were both born before the wedding, the result of Mugabes affair with his secretary while his wife Sally was dying from kidney disease. (Grace also has a son from a previous marriage). Every day I make it a point to thank VaMugabe for making me the First Lady of Zimbabwe, Grace said in 2012. He chose me, a village girl and made me his wife. Zimbabwes private press has speculated that Graces attacks on Mujuru were pre- scripted by her husband or the faction of Justice Minister Emmerson Crocodile Mnangagwa who stands to gain most from the vice presidents dismissal. Grace insisted they werent. Ive got brains in my head. I dont even have a day where Ive approached the president to tell me what to say at rallies. I speak my mind, she said two weeks ago. On Thursday the former village girl swept next to her husband onto the flower- bedecked podium of the Zanu-PF congress. As the speaker of parliament Jacob Mudenda called her mother of the nation, mother of revelations, in his vote of thanks, it must have seemed her triumph was nearly complete.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 10:44:12 +0000
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