Up close with the First Lady
Saturday, 16 June 2012 21:50
Last week we published the first part of the spontaneous wide-ranging interview our Deputy Editor, Nomsa Nkala, had with the First Lady, Amai Grace Mugabe. Excerpts of the interview focused on aspects of Amai Mugabe’s charity work, family life and background.
Today we publish the second and final part, which provides further insights into the life of the First Lady and her perspective on various critical issues, among them the country’s future, politics and her relationship with the President.
NN: What are your dreams and hopes for your children?
First Lady: I want to see them grow up to be responsible adults. And, of course, I want them to be well-educated and prepared for the future. We do not know what the future holds for them.
As I said, they must not rely on the present position; the present state of affairs. They should know that they are going to be on their own in future and they must work hard, knowing that they are going to have their own families.
If God is going to bless them with their own families, they must be in a position to give their families what we are giving them now. I have seen children in comfortable families growing up with an attitude that life is so good, easy, and they can get anything they want.
But my children know different and I do not just give them money. They do not keep money on themselves. I give them money as and when they need it, either US$10; US$5 or even US$2. You meet Robert today; he won’t be having any money on him . . .
We do not want them growing up thinking we have lots of money. No, we do not have lots of money, we work for it.
NN: They say behind every successful man is a woman. Do you contribute to the President’s office life?
First Lady: I think I am complementing what he is doing through the work that is being done here (Grace Mugabe Orphanage in Mazowe). I am complementing what the President has been doing over time. No one can equate what the President has done for this country no matter what is said in future. No one. Nobody.
He is one very humble person. He carries himself with a high degree of humility; a down-to-earth person . . . He is a caring and considerate man. He thinks about his people so much. You can see when he is talking to the people; he talks with emotion, with passion. He wants Zimbabweans to be high up there in terms of education, in terms of how they see themselves . . .
When he talks, you can see that he really has a vision for this country and he wants Zimbabweans to be in charge of their economy. He wants the people to be in charge of their God-given natural resources.
So, really, that is the way I support him. When he is campaigning, I go with him. Of course, because he is never at home, he comes home late; I have to make sure there is a balance between what I am doing for the nation and the family. That is my contribution. I say I am also a housewife.
The First Lady and Mrs Barbara Mogae tour the Grace Mugabe Orphanage in Mazowe.
I wonder sometimes because when some women are asked whether or not they work, they say they don’t. But you are at home looking after the children.
That is a job in itself and why should you say you don’t work? I personally feel women should mostly be at home looking after the children.
You bring up your children in your own way, in the way you want them to grow up. We have a tendency of just leaving our children with housemaids, yet the housemaid will never be you to them. You must play that role as a mother. When your children grow up they should be able to refer to the things that you were able to do together. My mum did that, just as I am doing now. I am proud, very proud.
I would always say my mother is my role model; I want to be like my mother. I saw my mother working and just by observing her, I saw the woman I wanted to become.
NN: Some say you are the “strong hand” behind most of the political decisions that the President makes; do you influence his decisions?
First Lady: Nonsense! That is nonsensical! He is a very intelligent man. Please! What you are telling me is that you underestimate my husband. As intelligent as he is, really? . . . Sometimes when I want to say something to him I am so scared because I know the answers that I am going to get . . . When he stands up, even at any moment, impromptu or not, if you say Mr President, make a speech, he will do it amazingly. So are you saying he carries a tape recorder inside his jacket so that he can listen to me first? . . . No, do not do this to the President.
That is what they always say. They say Mr Mugabe is a very old man, this and that, but the President is very sound and lucid. Very very sound, I am telling you; very energetic. He will not miss his morning exercise, seven days a week. Which other old man can do that at that age?
He is very lucky he inherited his mother’s genes. His mother, we think, when she died she was over 100 years old and she was very sound. She was never sick and the
President is not sick at all. They keep saying he is dying and he tells them that ‘I have beaten Jesus Christ’s resurrection because I have resurrected many times’.
NN: So, the rumours (on his health) are baseless?
First Lady: But you have seen him walking!
NN: When he went to Singapore, there were claims that he was in intensive care . . .
First Lady: I think that is the time he accompanied me to Singapore after I had injured my back in the gym.
NN: The President explained the injury, but there was a lot of speculation on whether it was an injury or illness . . .
[President Mugabe and the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe pose for a photo with their daughter Bona upon her graduation in Hong Kong]
President Mugabe and the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe pose for a photo with their daughter Bona upon her graduation in Hong Kong
First Lady: Do I look like a sick person? (laughs) I am not sick, not for now. But even if I were sick; I am human. We all get sick, get afflicted at some point in time in our lives . . . So, really, it is nothing to talk about. It is because of these detractors. They are so stupid to think that if Mugabe dies, then they would get back the land.
I do not understand this because Mugabe is not occupying all the land. There are Zimbabweans who are there on the farms, Zimbabweans who have been allocated these farms, and it is not Mugabe and his family . . . The land issue is an emotional issue to me because I know my parents were deprived of this land; their motherland. So you know what, they should not fool themselves. Sometimes they think like children . . . I do not quite understand them. They hope that one day all the Zimbabweans will move out of the land so that they move back in?
NN: Do your children share those same views (on land)?
First Lady: They love this farmland. They come here and they love it. They love their country. They are very patriotic — what do you expect? (smiles) Children practise what they grow up hearing. It’s like a song which is sung everyday. It sticks.
NN: With elections coming up, what role are you going to play?
First Lady: Helping with the campaigns, of course.
NN: What do you think the outcome will be?
First Lady: I cannot say. I am not a magician. (laughs)
NN: But you do have confidence in your party?
First Lady: Our party stands a better chance . . .Who would not want their party to win? I would want Zanu-PF to win, of course . . .
NN: Do you ever get anxious when the results are being announced and get worried about the outcome?
First Lady: You know what, it’s just like deciding to embark on a project. There are only two things to expect: failure or success. So unless you have done your groundwork properly and you are confident that you have really satisfied the needs of the people, it’s tricky. Politics is a tricky game.
NN: In the event of failure, what would your life be?
First Lady: Zanu-PF is not about one family. One thing you have to understand is that this country is not a monarchy. However, I do not think it will ever happen that Zanu-PF will lose this election. I don’t think it will — never.
NN: But are you prepared for such a scenario?
First Lady: That one is not an issue. Zanu-PF is the party that liberated this country and we must not forget that. There are many who fought for this country, including us who did not go to war, but were supporting it. When we had the first elections in which indigenous Zimbabweans participated, I voted . . . So, you can see where the patriotism started. The same kind of passion I had for my country then is 20-fold now. I do not think Zanu-PF will ever lose the elections. There is a saying that: ‘You cannot fool all the people all the time’, our detractors came and tried to fool the people, but they cannot fool them all of the time.
NN: In 2008, we saw you campaigning, going to some rallies. What prompted that?
First Lady: Ahh . . . nyika yanga yaakuendaka (The country was almost overrun by the enemy). I decided that you cannot watch things taking a direction you had not anticipated. I felt I should also play my part as a citizen of this country.
Of course, a lot of people started saying a lot of things, putting words into my mouth. Some came to me asking if I was planning to be the next President of this country. I said to them if I just go out campaigning, am I campaigning for myself to become President?
Well and good if that’s the case. I went on to ask them if there was anything wrong if the people one day decided that they wanted me to be the President of this country . . . So, really, some people took it that way, that I wanted to be a politician and that’s why I was campaigning.
I was just doing it because I realised that I had a duty to make the people understand that whatever they were being promised (by the opposition and their backers) they were being fooled and all this vilification, especially of the First Family, is because of the land reform programme.
I would not just sit by and watch the country going to the dogs. I will still do the same if I feel that the people need to be spoken to. I feel that it is my duty as a Zimbabwean to talk to the people; to make them understand.
It is not that I am not able to engage in politics, no. I also have the capacity for that, but it is a question of choosing the area in which you want to be engaged in. Not that I am foolish. Some say because I do charity work I am foolish. No! There is division of labour. That is why you find in universities and colleges there are various disciplines so that people are taught in various areas.
When we work for the country we complement each other. What I am doing is complementing what others are doing.
We cannot all do charity work. Who would engage in mining and other areas if that were the case? I am not saying I want to take part in politics, but for people to confront me and say I want to run for President just because I am campaigning for my party is wrong. Who has the right, more than me, to talk about my country? I am also a Zimbabwean and it is my right to talk about my country, to defend it.
I must be a patriotic Zimbabwean. That is the more reason I work for this country and that is why I am working here (orphanage). As I said before, this is my stage where I have a role to play. I have to defend my country as well, as much as everybody else who is doing the same.
NN: So do you think at some stage you will get into politics, actively?
First Lady: Not quite. I have not anticipated that. But supporting my party: there are no two ways about it. I support my party 100 percent.
NN: And your children, are they interested in politics?
First Lady: I don’t know. They are still young. But Bellarmine says he wants to be a politician without any fear at all and he knows what he wants. He is a very funny boy and quite outgoing. He likes talking politics with his father, asking questions.
NN: Who would you say he takes after, more of the father?
First Lady: Probably, both. They (the children) have both the President’s traits and mine. Sometimes, at this stage, you cannot really tell. Let’s give them time . . .
NN: How is your relationship with the President, as husband and wife?
First Lady: Very close. We are very very close. We talk a lot. Zvinonzi zviuya hazviwanane, but we are very unique people. He is one man who is very clean. I am telling you; he is very clean and I always say thank you God for giving me such a clean man besides the fact that he is very intelligent and he is not a lazy person . . . I am somebody with an inquisitive mind and every time you ask him something, he is willing to articulate on that subject, expand on it. It does not matter what time of the day it is. You can ask him, he will make time for you. He is a very wonderful man. He will not say ‘I am too tired or I have a lot of work to do’. He will never say that. I remember just two weeks ago, he had just arrived from a trip. It was late at night and I was writing something.
I said to him, ‘I want you to read this for me, please’. I told him ‘I know it’s late, but you have to read for me because I want to finish (the work) by morning’. So, he had to do it and he takes his time. He is very thorough. . . . If he is going to work on a speech, he could have a draft done, but he is going to work on it. Oh, yes, he is a different person.
NN: So, he helped you with your schooling?
First Lady: Unfortunately, he could not with this one (Chinese studies). (laughs) It was all Greek to him. (laughs)
NN: But for the children, does he make time to help them with their school work?
First Lady: He does, sometimes. When he has time, he tries to help them.
NN: Would you say you are friends, you and the President?
First Lady: Very much so. He is my best friend.
NN: You talk like a normal couple?
First Lady: Yes, we talk about a lot of different things, a lot. We shout at each other as well. That is normal; we are normal people. In a relationship you cannot say you will not anger each other. I would be lying. It would be a blatant lie if I said we do not fight. We do sometimes and then we talk and iron out our differences.
We are human beings. It’s only natural. There are things that he might do that I do not like and I tell him that. I also remind him that ‘I am the only person who can talk to you like this’ (laughs) and no one else. ‘I, only, can talk to you like this; you have to listen to me’. (laughs) . . . He is not the person who will say ‘listen to me because I am the President or even because of the age difference you must listen to me’. No, I am not his daughter, I am his wife. I am his companion in life.
NN: Do you ever get time away as a couple, romantic time?
First Lady: No. We go out, though, about three times a year on holiday with our children. We spend a lot of time together, we laugh. We laugh a lot, we joke with our children. We ensure we eat together everyday . . . We don’t eat much though, we have one meal a day . . .
NN: You have one meal a day, nothing in between?
First Lady: If I am hungry, I have an apple. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. I never have breakfast. I go to the gym and I drink water.
NN: Does the President have breakfast?
First Lady: He does, just a little bit of porridge and just a cup of tea and then he goes to work. He is a very particular man. He will not let himself grow out of proportion . . .
NN: Do you train together? Do you join him when he goes to the gym?
First Lady: He does not use gym equipment. He tells me that when they were in prison, they would just sit because they were political prisoners and political prisoners did not do any work. So, they would just sit and read. That was not good for them so they started doing stationary jogging and press-ups.
That is what he still does. I run on the treadmill.
NN: Is it because of pressure from the President that you have to exercise religiously?
First Lady: No. I have always wanted to look after myself; not carry too much weight . . .
NN: Being the First Lady must come with a lot of pressure.
First Lady: Indeed.
NN: How did you adapt?
First Lady: It depends on how you take it, on how you plan things. I suppose I am a very hard-working person, so I do not find it that hard.
NN: How was it in the early days?
First Lady: It was the same because I have always been hardworking. My husband can tell you that . . . He would say I am a man-woman . . . I only sleep for five hours a day.
NN: What do you do on a normal day with your family?
First Lady: They like my cooking. I love cooking. In fact, we do not employ cooks from hotels. Yes, we may have a few, but I would have to train them on the way I want our food to be prepared. I am very particular.
NN: What does the President like eating?
First Lady: He likes eating anything I cook, anything. I have also taught my children to learn to eat anything. The traditional foods we sometimes cook; they say sadza remavhu, that is rapoko sadza because it looks like sand and muboora. I grow my own vegetables at home, organic . . . I grow everything there: munyemba, cowpeas, tomatoes, sweet cabbages and sweet potatoes; everything.
We also eat a lot of hot food. It is very good. It has medicinal properties, they say. . .
NN: Who shops for the President? His clothes. . .
First Lady: He does but I buy a lot for him as well . . . I do not choose clothes for him though; he did not marry me to be his butler, no.
NN: So, he decides what to wear everyday?
First Lady: Yes. He is very organised. Before he goes to bed at night, he will open his wardrobe, look for the matching tie and all. Everyday he chooses his clothes unless if it’s a special occasion then I dictate to him. I tell him that this is what you are going to wear. (He then responds) ‘Okay Amai, okay’. (laughs)
NN: Some women usually develop a passion for a particular accessory — shoes, etc. What would you say you have a weakness for?
First Lady: Nothing really, I just balance things. What I really like doing is sit down and design my own outfits. You can see the way I tie my headgear . . . I also like to keep things natural. I do not like hair extensions that people wear these days. My daughter once had them on and I told her to remove them . . . I am very natural. I would rather have my locks . . . So the President says, ‘How can you do that? How can you wear Bob Marley’s hairstyle? Why don’t you wear Bob Mugabe’s hairstyle?’(laughs) So, I said to him: you want me to cut my hair short? No.
NN: Moving on to your businesses. What kind of businesses are you involved in, tell us more about them?
First Lady: Which ones? (laughs)
NN: Well, there have been claims that you have some Asian business associates . . .
First Lady: My husband and I are more into agriculture. We are farmers . . . we are running a dairy. It is a very complicated business; running a dairy. It is not easy, really, but I have had to work hard on it. We put up a new (dairy cow milking) parlour, which is probably the second largest in the region. I am told there is a bigger one in South Africa in terms of the number of points for milking each cow. The one in South Africa has 84 milking points while ours has 64 clusters. We have now gone on to add value to our milk . . . We also have a lot of beef cattle. We have about 2 000 head of cattle. That is what we do, really, and nothing more. Yes, I intend to do other things, especially to support my charity projects, but I cannot talk about something that is not in existence yet . . .
NN: Are you a religious family?
First Lady: Very much so. I am Catholic by virtue of having married a Catholic. I am more Pentecostal, although my parents were part of the John Wesley Assembly. I grew up later as a Pentecostal.
NN: Your children read the Bible?
First Lady: Yes, they do. I try to teach them to memorise some of the verses. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want . . .
NN: What do you do for fun, do you like music?
First Lady: I love music; I can dance, too. Not only that, I have also learnt to play some Chinese instruments . . . I will play them for you, one day . . .
NN: What is your favourite music?
First Lady: Any type of music as long it’s good music. But it is mostly Gospel music . . . I buy CDs to play in my car when I’m driving.
NN: You drive yourself?
First Lady: A lot. Almost everyday; it’s just that these days I am busy; I am thinking (intensely). I don’t want to drive when I have a lot on my mind otherwise you get distracted.
NN: What are your hopes for this country?
First Lady: Zimbabwe is endowed with a lot of natural resources. As the President has always been encouraging development, I envisage a Zimbabwe with robust infrastructure. The human resources side has problems. I know Zimbabweans are very academic to the extent that we all want to be academics and we tend to neglect the skills’ training side. But we need to have a section of the country that is able to do work like construction, carpentry, designing, etc.
I think we import a lot of goods because we are lacking in the area of skills training. One of the things I want to do is ensure that I put up a skills training centre here (Mazowe) . . .That does not mean I will have many people trained here but I will try in my own small way to contribute to the development of that area.
We cannot all go into universities. Some people should be able to go into industry . . . I want to see more happen in that area so that when we talk of employment, we just don’t talk about looking for jobs but creating jobs as well . . .
The capacity is there. People only need to be innovative. They must be creative, diligent. I think in 10 to 20 years’ time, this country will be much different.
NN: And the Zimbabwean woman?
First Lady: I would want to say to the Zimbabwean woman we have opportunities galore. Let’s take advantage of them. We must not just look at our male counterparts getting into different ventures.
Let’s establish ourselves and be in a position to help each other as women. What I see in Zimbabwean women is individualism. We must be able to interact, come together and share ideas. After all, we have had the opportunity to go to school, get an education as much as our male counterparts. I think most men are proud to say, ‘my wife is engaged in this or that’.
I have seen a lot of men who are proud of what their wives are doing, but they are only proud of you because they believe in you . . .
I know there are also women who don’t really like working, especially those who have well-to-do husbands . . . What happens to you if that man dies or marries somebody else? . . . I have never relaxed. I have done what most women are doing, going to the market, selling. I have never looked at myself as somebody married to a Head of State.
What I tell myself is in the event that my husband is incapacitated, I must be able to carry the family, fend for the family. So, this is what drives me. I don’t know what tomorrow holds for me and I would want the Zimbabwean women to do the same and not just sit, doing nails, being pampered. . . I never do that.
NN: So you do your own manicure?
First Lady: Yes, I just apply nail polish. . . I do everything on my own; laundry, ironing, etc . . . I prepare food on my own . . . The Bible says, ‘God fashioned man and saw that he needed a helper’. But people don’t understand the issue of the “helper”. . . You are supposed to be working together so that if the man dies or gets sick, you are able to fill that gap.
But I have seen a lot of women who are lazy, educated women who do nothing. There is a time to look after the children, yes. But let’s not take advantage of that and say it’s a full-time job.
The children will not always be with you. . . Start doing something for yourself. Ensure that you bring an income home too. You cannot just depend on one person.
NN: Are these the values you instill in your daughter?
First Lady: When she is around I talk to her. I talk to her; seriously. I want her to be like me; not exactly like me. She may not have the characteristics I have, but certainly I say to her if you just get even 50 percent of what I do, take it; use it.
Labels: AMAI MUGABE, GRACE MUGABE, INTERVIEW
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First Lady Grace Mugabe breaks silence
This article was written by Our reporter on 9 June, at 23 : 52
Zimbabwe’s First Lady, Mrs Grace Mugabe, has disclosed that she is the only person who can speak freely and candidly to President Robert Mugabe while dismissing claims that she is the “strong hand” behind most of his political decisions.
Revealing her innermost thoughts and feelings on various issues among them politics, love, parenting and the Zimbabwean woman, the First Lady shared — in an unplanned and spontaneous exclusive interview with The Sunday Mail newspaper last week — that she has quite a close relationship with the President who has become her best friend.
“He is my best friend. We are very, very close… We talk about a lot of different things and we shout at each other as well. That’s normal, we are normal people. You can not say in a relationship that you will not anger each other. So it would be a blatant lie if I said we do not fight. We do sometimes, but then we talk and iron out our differences.
“We are human beings . . . It’s only natural. There are things that he might do that I don’t like and I will tell him that. I remind him that ‘I’m the only person who can talk to you like this and he has to listen to me.
“He is not the kind of person who will say ‘listen to me because I’m the President or even because of the age difference’ no . . . I’m not his daughter, I’m his wife. I’m his companion for life.
We talk a lot. Zvinonzi zviuya hazviwanane, we are very unique people. He is one man who is very clean. I am telling you; he is very clean and I always say thank you God for giving me such a clean man besides the fact that he is very intelligent and he is not a lazy person.
“I am somebody who has an inquiring mind and every time you ask him something, he is willing to articulate on that subject, expand on it. It does not matter what time of day it is. You can ask him, he will make time for you. He is a very wonderful man. He won’t say ‘I am too tired or I have a lot of work to do.’ He will never say that.
“I remember just two weeks ago, he had just arrived from a trip, it was late at night and I was writing something and I said to him, ‘I want you to read this for me, please’. I told him ‘I know it’s late, but you have to read it for me because I want to finish it by morning’. So he had to do it and he takes his time. He is very thorough. If he is going to work on a speech, he could have a draft done, but he is going to work on it. Oh, yes, he is a different person.’’
On claims that she influenced most of the President’s political decisions, Mrs Mugabe said: “Nonsense! That’s nonsensical! He is a very intelligent man, please! What you are telling me is that you underestimate my husband. As intelligent as he is … You know sometimes when I want to say something to him I am so scared because I know the answers I am going to get.
“When he stands up to speak at any moment, even now, impromptu, if you say, Mr President, make a speech, he will do it amazingly. Are you then saying he carries a tape recorder so that he listens to me first before he speaks? … No, do not do this to the President.’’
Last year, there were reports that the President was suffering from an undisclosed ailment and had visited Singapore for treatment.
Commenting on that trip and the President’s health, Mrs Mugabe said he had actually made the trip to Singapore to accompany her after she injured herself in the gymnasium.
“That’s what they say (the President’s alleged ill-health), they say Mr Mugabe is a very old man and this and that, but he is very sound and lucid. Very, very sound, I’m telling you, and very energetic, too.
“He will not miss his morning exercises, seven days a week. At that age, he is very lucky he inherited his mother’s genes. We think when she died she was over 100 years old and she was very sound. She was never sick at all and the President is not sick at all.’’
On the claims about her own health: “I injured my back in the gym . . . Do I look like a sick person? I am not sick, not for now. But even if I were sick, I am a human being. We all get sick and afflicted. So really it’s nothing to talk about.’’
The First Lady has often been portrayed as an extravagant spender with exquisite tastes, responding to those allegations she said: “I am a humble person, but I also like to dress well. I am like my mother, she dresses well, so did my father . . . I think it’s an art that’s in-born. I love dressing up, but I also make my own clothes. I design my own clothes.’’
On the alleged shopping sprees, she said: “They will say that because if they can’t get at (President) Mugabe they have to find a soft spot to get at him. So they think Grace is a soft spot, but I don’t think they know the real Grace. I’m not as soft as they think I am.’’
She has also been previously linked to alleged clandestine construction deals in Zimbabwe involving some business people from the Republic of Korea. Asked to shed light on her business ventures, the First Lady responded: “My husband and I are more into agriculture. We are farmers and, of course, we have been empowered through the land reform programme. We are running a dairy, but it is a very complicated business running a dairy, I have had to work hard on it…
“We have put up a big parlour there and we are now probably the second largest in the region. I am told there is a big one in South Africa in terms of points to milk each cow.
“The South African one has 84 milking points while ours has 64 clusters… We have also decided to add value to our milk so that we really make a little bit more money for ourselves and, of course, the workers.
“So we are putting up a processing plant and it’s almost complete.
“We also have a lot of beef cattle. About 2 000 cattle. So that is what we do really and nothing more. Yes, I intend to do other things, especially to support this project (the Grace Mugabe Orphanage and primary school), but I cannot talk about something that is not in existence yet.’’
On politics the First Lady remarked: “No one can equate what the President has done for this country, no matter what is said in future: no one; nobody.
“He is one very humble person. He carries himself with a degree of humility; a down-to-earth person.
“He is a caring and considerate man. He thinks about his people so much. You can observe that when he talks to the people, he talks with emotion, with passion. He wants Zimbabweans to be high up there in terms of education; in terms of how they see themselves, we should not look down upon ourselves.
“When the President talks about all of these things you can see that he really has a vision for this country and he wants Zimbabweans to be in charge of their economy. He wants the people to be in charge of their God-given natural resources.”
On the upcoming elections: “I think with the way things are at the moment and if what I hear is true, our party (Zanu-PF) stands a better chance.’’
And on the land reform programme: “The land issue is a very emotional issue to me because I know my parents were deprived of this land; their motherland. So you know what, they (Zimbabwe’s detractors) should not fool themselves. Sometimes they think like children really. I do not quite understand them, they hope that one day all the Zimbabweans will move out of the land so that they move back in… because Mugabe is not occupying all this land there are Zimbabweans who have been allocated these farms. It is not Mugabe and his family.’’
Asked about the election campaigns she ran alongside the President in 2008, the First Lady said it was her duty, as a Zimbabwean, to rally the nation against Western aggression.
She said while she had no plans to actively get involved in politics, she would continue to support Zanu-PF fully.
Her visibility during the 2008 polls, she said, was misconstrued by many as an indication that she was venturing into politics.
“Ahh . . . nyika yanga yaenda (the country was almost overrun by the enemy during the 2008 harmonised elections).
“So, I decided I could not watch things take the direction that had not been anticipated and I had to play my part as a citizen of this country. Of course, a lot of people said a lot of things, putting words into my mouth.
“… I was just doing it because I realised that I had a duty also to talk to the people, make them understand and tell them that whatever they were being promised (by the opposition and their backers) they were being fooled and all this vilification, especially of the First Family, is because of the land (reform programme).
“… I am not saying I want to engage in politics, but for people to confront me and say I want to run for President just because I am campaigning for my party is wrong. Who has the right more than me, to talk about my country? I am also a Zimbabwean. That is the more reason I work for this country and that is why I am working here (at the orphanage).
“I have to defend my country as well, as much as everybody else who is doing the same.”
Labels: AMAI MUGABE, GRACE MUGABE, ZANU-PF
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We fight with the President: Grace Mugabe
10/06/2012 00:00:00
by
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe’s wife, Grace has revealed that, like all normal couples, she often fights with her husband but said they remained ‘very, very close’ adding her husband was also her best friend. In an extensive interview with the Sunday Mail, the First Lady spoke about her relationship with Mugabe and also addressed various other issues including her alleged extravagance, business activities and speculation over the Zimbabwean leader’s health.
Relationship with Mugabe
He is my best friend. We are very, very close . . . We talk about a lot of different things and we shout at each other as well. That’s normal, we are normal people. You can not say in a relationship that you will not anger each other. So it would be a blatant lie if I said we do not fight. We do sometimes, but then we talk and iron out our differences. We are human beings ... It’s only natural. There are things that he might do that I don’t like and I will tell him that. I remind him that ‘I’m the only person who can talk to you like this and he has to listen to me. He is not the kind of person who will say ‘listen to me because I’m the President or even because of the age difference’ no . . . I’m not his daughter, I’m his wife. I’m his companion for life.
We talk a lot. Zvinonzi zviuya hazviwanane, we are very unique people. He is one man who is very clean. I am telling you; he is very clean and I always say thank you God for giving me such a clean man besides the fact that he is very intelligent and he is not a lazy person. I am somebody who has an inquiring mind and every time you ask him something, he is willing to articulate on that subject, expand on it. It does not matter what time of day it is. You can ask him, he will make time for you. He is a very wonderful man. He won’t say 'I am too tired or I have a lot of work to do.' He will never say that.
I remember just two weeks ago, he had just arrived from a trip, it was late at night and I was writing something and I said to him, ‘I want you to read this for me, please’. I told him ‘I know it’s late, but you have to read it for me because I want to finish it by morning’. So he had to do it and he takes his time. He is very thorough. If he is going to work on a speech, he could have a draft done, but he is going to work on it.
Health speculation
That’s what they say (the President’s alleged ill-health), they say Mugabe is a very old man and this and that, but he is very sound and lucid. Very, very sound, I’m telling you, and very energetic, too. Oh, yes, he is a different person. He will not miss his morning exercises, seven days a week. At that age, he is very lucky he inherited his mother’s genes. We think when she died she was over 100 years old and she was very sound. She was never sick at all and the President is not sick at all. I injured my back in the gym . . . Do I look like a sick person? I am not sick, not for now. But even if I were sick, I am a human being. We all get sick and afflicted. So really it’s nothing to talk about.
Alleged extravagance
I am a humble person, but I also like to dress well. I am like my mother, she dresses well, so did my father . . . I think it’s an art that’s in-born. I love dressing up, but I also make my own clothes. I design my own clothes. They (critics) will say that because if they can’t get at (President) Mugabe they have to find a soft spot to get at him. So they think Grace is a soft spot, but I don’t think they know the real Grace. I’m not as soft as they think I am.
Their repertoire of denigratory remarks will never deter me, never. I don’t feel anything. At first, yes. Because if something is happening to you for the first time and you are not used to it you certainly react: why are they doing this to me? I would ask. But you know when you spank a child everyday they get used to it and develop a thick skin. Eventually, the spanking will mean nothing to them.
So I don’t care about what they say. After all, I know what I do, what I spend my time doing. I am not affected in any way. And I thank God because my children are not affected as well. Perhaps it is their way of protecting their father because they don’t seem affected. I feel sorry for my children though, at least I am an adult, but they have not wronged anybody, they have not done anything.
In fact, my children are very quiet and reserved. You know, we are a very quiet family. The President is a quiet person. I am a quiet person. I do not talk much; I do not socialise that much. I am like my mother. She keeps to herself and I do that. So we are very reticent people, so are my children — very quiet kids.
Business activities
My husband and I are more into agriculture. We are farmers and, of course, we have been empowered through the land reform programme. We are running a dairy, but it is a very complicated business running a dairy, I have had to work hard on it . . . . We have put up a big parlour there and we are now probably the second largest in the region.
I am told there is a big one in South Africa in terms of points to milk each cow. The South African one has 84 milking points while ours has 64 clusters . . . We have also decided to add value to our milk so that we really make a little bit more money for ourselves and, of course, the workers. So we are putting up a processing plant and it’s almost complete.
We also have a lot of beef cattle; about 2,000 cattle. So that is what we do really and nothing more. Yes, I intend to do other things, especially to support this project (the Grace Mugabe Orphanage and primary school), but I cannot talk about something that is not in existence yet.
On her children
Children; oh, we are very close. We talk a lot but I am a strict mother. I tell them about their future. They must not feel this warmth that they are in and think it will continue like this forever. I always remind them that we are in the State House because of one person. They must not take it for granted and they have to prepare for their future; they must be responsible for their future.
They must work hard at school, which they do not do sometimes. But I can say my children are very smart. Even Tino (Robert Junior), he is quite a smart boy, very smart. It is just that he did not do well . . . We used to fight about basketball. He loves his basketball. He is passionate about his basketball. So he would actually dedicate a lot of time to basketball, but he learnt a lesson the hard way. What I like about him is that he is not an argumentative child so are all my children. They listen to me. They appreciate when I talk to them.
I want to see them really grow up to be responsible adults. And of course I want them to be well educated and be prepared for the future, because we don’t know what the future holds for them. As I said, they must not rely on the present position, the state of affairs. They should know that they are going to be on their own in future and they must work hard, knowing that they are going to have their own families.
If God is going to bless them with their own families, they must be in a position to give their families what we are giving them now. I have seen children in comfortable families growing up with an attitude that life is so good, easy, and they can get anything they want. But my children know different and I don’t just give them money.
Political involvement
Ahh . . . nyika yanga yaenda (the country was almost overrun by the enemy during the 2008 harmonised elections). So, I decided I could not watch things take the direction that had not been anticipated and I had to play my part as a citizen of this country. Of course, a lot of people said a lot of things, putting words into my mouth. I was just doing it because I realised that I had a duty also to talk to the people, make them understand and tell them that whatever they were being promised (by the opposition and their backers) they were being fooled and all this vilification, especially of the First Family, is because of the land (reform programme).
I am not saying I want to engage in politics, but for people to confront me and say I want to run for President just because I am campaigning for my party is wrong. Who has the right more than me, to talk about my country? I am also a Zimbabwean. That is the more reason I work for this country and that is why I am working here (at the orphanage). I have to defend my country as well, as much as everybody else who is doing the same.
Labels: AMAI MUGABE, GRACE MUGABE, ZANU-PF
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Work at Amai Mugabe orphanage school begins
Friday, 04 November 2011 00:00
Herald Reporters
The groundbreaking ceremony for the multi-million dollar Grace Mugabe Foundation Primary School being built with the assistance of the People's Republic of China was held at the sprawling complex in Mazowe yesterday. The school - being built on a 7 720 square metre plot - will include 27 classrooms, a library, an art room, music room, computer room and auxiliary equipment rooms.
The institution will have four streams of 24 pupils per class from grade one to seven.
The school will cater for 900 disadvantaged children from Grace Mugabe Children's Home and surrounding areas.
The project, on completion, will include a children's home, hospital, a primary and secondary school, shopping complex and workers' quarters.
The children's home, which currently has 38 completed houses, houses 15 abandoned children under the care of foster mothers.
Amai Mugabe is working on adopting more children for the centre.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, the President dismissed misleading media reports that the project was inconveniencing residents.
Some media reports had indicated that more than 60 families had been displaced from the site.
The President however, praised Amai Mugabe's vision to give the underprivileged a "second chance" in life.
"I was particularly heartened to hear that the envisaged school will also admit children from communities surrounding it.
"This obviously proves false, the rumours which claim that the Grace Mugabe Foundation is bringing suffering to the communities," he said.
President Mugabe said the First Lady believed in giving dignity to every child whose birth or upbringing had been made difficult through the parents' difficult circumstances.
He said Amai Mugabe had, before the establishment of the children's home, identified intelligent but needy children and was sponsoring their education.
"Some of the children were identified while still at primary school, even as a similar exercise was underway for those who were doing their schooling."
President Mugabe said the First Lady had sponsored children up to university level and they had excelled and distinguished themselves in various fields.
He however, challenged society to play a role in the upbringing of disadvantaged children to have a better future.
Amai Mugabe said population growth presented the world with challenges of adequately investing in children to realise their goals.
She hailed Government's Look East policy.
"Look at what is happening to the West. They are having economic challenges but we are doing well here with the assistance from countries such as China," she said.
Amai Mugabe said the First Family had a vision of making education available to all Zimbabweans.
"It is an ideal whose fulfillment my husband and I pursue alongside all our endeavours to help the disadvantaged members of our society."
She however, said the home would want to address an outstanding challenge of reaching out to as many children as possible.
Amai Mugabe also hailed assistance from the Chinese government which offered to assist in the construction of the primary school.
She urged communities to focus on improving the lives of children.
"Educating our children is an important investment, never a waste! All our communities should be engaged."
Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Xin Shun-kang said the primary school's construction symbolised the growing relations between the countries.
"Education has always been the priority of Zimbabwe and the foundation of development of the nation.
"Zimbabwe produces well-educated people who are employed locally and abroad," he said.
He said China would assist Zimbabwe and had constructed several institutions in the country including the National Defence College.
Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo said the home would benefit the Mazowe community and people surrounding the district.
"The development will also result in the employment of locals and the rise of Mazowe district to attain a town status.
"Mai Mugabe has contributed to the socio-economic turnaround of the country," he said.
Announcing the donation of three elephants to the Chinese government, Mashonaland Central Governor and Resident Minister Advocate Martin Dinha dismissed reports that the project had displaced people.
"There are only seven families that have been affected, they have since been engaged and satisfactorily compensated," he said.
Labels: AMAI MUGABE, GRACE MUGABE, STREET CHILDREN
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President Mugabe leaves for UN climate change conference
Itayi Garande
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:56:00 +0000
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe left Harare last night for Copenhagen, Denmark, to attend COP15 - the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference that is expected to come up with strategies to curb one of the greatest challenges of the 21st Century, rising atmospheric temperatures.
The president will arrive as COP15, only a few days into its deliberations, is already showing a serious split over a draft final document meant for issue at the end of the two-week summit.
Negotiations between developed and developing nations with regard to agreeing new emissions targets are reported to have become increasingly strained in recent days, with reports developing nations walked out of talks in the Danish capital earlier yesterday.
The President, who is accompanied by the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe and several senior Government officials, among them Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi; Secretary for Media, Information and Publicity Mr George Charamba, will join over 110 other heads of state and Government at the historic conference.
They will meet with over 115 Heads of Government as they try to initiate the biggest change since the Industrial Revolution, turning the world economy away from an ever growing reliance on fossil fuels.
COP15 is the deadline for thrashing out a successor to the Kyoto protocol, with the aim of preventing dangerous global warming. It will run for two weeks from 7 December and is the latest in a series that trace their origins to the 1992 Earth summit in Rio.
Climate scientists are convinced the world must stop the growth in greenhouse gas emissions and start making them fall very soon. To have a chance of keeping warming under the dangerous 2C mark, cuts of 25%-40% relative to 1990 levels are needed, rising to 80%-95% by 2050. So far, the offers on the table are way below these targets.
Delegates hope for a deal on Friday that will ensure temperatures do not rise by more than 2C, and that hundreds of billions of pounds is pledged to help poor countries adapt to climate change. But tonight it appeared that many did not want to risk being pressured into signing an agreement they believe would be against their national interests.
"The industrialised countries want to hammer out a large part of the deal on the last day, when the heads of state arrive," one senior African negotiator told the Guardian on the condition of anonymity. "It's a ploy to slip through provisions that are not amenable to developing country efforts. It's playing dirty."
One added: "It is as serious a situation as it ever has been. It is more than probable many heads of state will not come if the negotiations are not complete. Why should a head of state come to sign an agreement that is basically a non-agreement?"
High level Chinese and Indian representatives indicated they would be in Copenhagen, but they made clear they wanted key points agreed before they arrive. They also appear desperate to avoid a situation where western leaders jet in and steamroller the main points on the last day of the conference.
Su Wei, China's top climate negotiator, said he hoped there would be no outstanding issues by the time his country's premier, Wen Jiabao, arrived. "I hope the only question we will leave for leaders is how to pronounce Copenhagen."
Indian representatives also said their prime minister, Manmohan Singh, would come to the summit, but emphasised the urgency of having negotiators produce a text in advance.
Jairam Ramesh, India's environment minister, said: "We are saying that heads of state should not be negotiating a draft text. We must have a draft text already finalised. The heads of state should come to leave their imprint on the deal."
The UK's climate secretary, Ed Miliband, conceded there was some way to go before a workable deal was reached. "We're now getting close to midnight in this negotiation and we need to act like it. That means more urgency to solve problems, not just identify them."
One key point of contention is the US and EU insistence that emerging economies such as India, China and Brazil agree to peak their emissions by 2020. Developing countries argue that this would lock them into poverty.
Analysts say such hard driving tactics are typical of negotiations, but they resonate even more at the climate change talks, which are based on the idea that all 192 countries sign off on any agreement.
"This is a consensus process," said Janos Pastor, who heads Ban Ki-Moon's climate change team. "If they are really meaning that they are going to boycott, and if they are going to do that, it's serious. It would be a pity if a conflict meant that we don't reach an agreement."
Labels: AMAI MUGABE, CLIMATE CHANGE, MUGABE
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Row erupts over 'Kariba Draft'
by Lebo Nkatazo
25/06/2009 00:00:00
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe says
a new constitution for Zimbabwe should be drawn from the ‘Kariba Draft’ – putting him on a collision course with his Zanu PF party’s ruling coalition partners.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said on Tuesday that it would “reject any attempts to have the ‘Kariba Draft’ … adopted as the Alpha and Omega of the constitution-making process”.
The so-called ‘Kariba Draft’ constitution was crafted by lawyers – including Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube and Patrick Chinamasa -- from the three parties to the power sharing agreement in the picturesque town of Kariba in September 2007.
The document was made available to the public for the first time as Annexure B to the power-sharing agreement of September 15, 2008, signed by the two MDC formations and Zanu PF (see the ‘Kariba Draft’ in full).
Despite its initial support, Tsvangirai’s MDC has been retreating following opposition to the ‘Draft’ from constitutional reform campaign groups who say there should be no guiding document to a “people-driven” constitution.
Mugabe told the Zanu PF central committee on Wednesday: “We should accordingly educate ourselves about the contents of the Kariba Draft Constitution and explain it to our people as well as asking them their own views on it.
“We should properly educate our people so as to enable them to make informed decisions."
Mugabe comments will rile the MDC which fears Zanu PF wants the new constitutional reform process to be a referendum on the ‘Kariba Draft’.
“The MDC believes in a truly people-driven constitution-making process where the unfettered will of the people must be reflected,” the party’s national executive said in a statement on Tuesday.
Campaign group the National Constitutional Assembly says on its website that the writing of the ‘Kariba Draft’ “by a handful of political elites” without consulting the public is “an undemocratic usurpation of the right of Zimbabweans to write a constitution for themselves (read its analysis of Kariba Draft’.”
Zimbabwe began parliament-led constitutional hearings across the country’s five provinces on Wednesday which are expected to culminate in a new constitution by December next year.
Labels: AMAI MUGABE, CONSTITUTION, KARIBA
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President slams violence
By Sydney Kawadza
PRESIDENT MUGABE yesterday described the orgy of violence perpetrated by the MDC-T as barbaric after he and First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe visited the homes of some victims of the opposition attacks in Shamva, Mashonaland Central. Addressing a rally after visiting the homes of affected families, President Mugabe said he was saddened by what he had seen at the homes.
"We have seen the violent activities of the MDC-T in Shamva and other areas across the country. Tasuruvara nezvataona. Hatisi mhuka dzinopisirana dzimba, destroying other people’s property.
"The MDC-T should stop immediately this barbaric campaign of arson, destroying and harming people, destroying lives," he said.
Speaking at the same rally, Amai Mugabe deplored violent activities after the March 29 elections.
"We have come to see the victims of violence and I want to urge people to avoid fighting each other. Musarovana, musapisirana dzimba nekuti pamunorwisana varungu vanenge varikudzimba dzavo vachiona vachingoti onai vanhu vatema havafunge, havana kurongeka; sei vasingabatsire kana pakaitika matambudziko akadai?" she said.
Amai Mugabe urged Zanu-PF supporters and MDC-T to co-exist as no one would benefit from acts of retribution.
The First Lady donated asbestos roofing sheets, clothes, groceries and $20 billion each to the affected families.
Two MDC-T supporters, who were also victims of the violent clashes, could not receive their donations yesterday because they were not present.
Cde Mugabe also donated 200 computers to 20 schools in Mashonaland Central.
Turning to the June 27 run-off, President Mugabe said this was an important election that will determine whether the country remains with the people of Zimbabwe or goes back to Rhodesians.
He said the March 29 harmonised election result was saddening, adding that he hoped that people would vote wisely in the forthcoming election.
"We are sad for the people who were bought and sold out. These people are in the party, in the communities and shamed us as a party. I would, however, want to thank the people who voted for Zanu-PF and made sure that there was no winner.
"Kune vamwe pakati pedu vakakwanisa kuvhotera Zanu-PF uye ndivo vakaita kuti kusawanikwe anokunda, kuite mangange. Saka ndimi makaita kuti Zanu-PF ivepo, ndimi makaita kuti nhasi ndive pano," Cde Mugabe said.
He said it was fortunate that laws in the country provided for a run-off after a stalemate in the presidential poll.
"There was no winner according to our laws. Iyi yatavakupinda ielection yekupedza mangange aya. Moenda munhu woga-woga, muudze vamwe vangangodaro vasina kukwanisa kuuya pano kuti musi waJune 27 hapana anosara, kana anenzara anofizukira ikoko.
"Your vote is important, we are not happy with the results
after the elections but go and vote together. Traditional leaders should go with their people even in the areas where the party lost. We must make sure that we retain our votes in those areas," he said.
Cde Mugabe expressed concern at the performance of the party in Mashonaland Central, where it lost two House of Assembly constituencies -- Bindura South and Mazowe West -- in the March 29 elections.
"Taiziva province ino iri province isina anozunguza, isina kana buri asi yakaita maburi maviri saka takaona magwanza maviri kuBindura South nekuti Mazowe West.
"Rangarirai kuti kuno kuMashonaland Central ndikokwakabva Mbuya Nehanda, ndiko kwakatanga Chimurenga chekutanga uye chechipiri. Saka munofanira kuziva kuti midzimu yakaramba kuti nyika iyerere.
"KuMazowe ndiko kwaMbuya Nehanda saka ivo vanoti mavakundiregereraka.
"Should we get people who do not support the land issue? Ivhu ravanhu rakakosha. We are rocking as nation and on June 27 when you go to vote, you should vote to show that Rhodesia is gone forever and Zimbabwe shall live forever," he said.
Cde Mugabe said Zanu-PF was aware of the issues that are affecting the people such as shortages of food and basic commodities and the ever-escalating prices of goods.
"However, these issues are being caused by sanctions, drought periods and heavy rains that affected agricultural production last year.
"We had grown maize in our fields, but it was destroyed by the heavy rains. However, Governor Gono has told me that the Reserve Bank has paid for 600 000 tonnes of maize from South Africa and is awaiting delivery and enough maize is coming to the people so that they would not suffer," he said.
Cde Mugabe said Government had also come up with programmes that would help people overcome the shortages, price hikes and other challenges.
He said the British had imposed sanctions so that people would lose track and stop supporting their party.
"MaBritish akaisa masanctions kuti akanganise vanhu kuti vati torega kubatana neZanu-PF, torega nekuti tashaya, musangano weZanu-PF hausisina kunaka, toenda kubva muZanu-PF.
"Did you join Zanu-PF for sugar, salt or for our land? We can have these shortages, but we need to work, produce and be fine. We can work on the land to produce food that would sustain us before we are rich or before we start selling our produce."
Cde Mugabe said Government was working on empowering the people because whites were enjoying the fruits of the land.
"We want to empower the people but there are others who are saying the people are starving because they (white farmers) are gone, but they did not produce any food. The people in the communal farmers were producing for the nation when farmers were growing tobacco and other cash crops.
"We took the farms and gave them to the people and there are more farms that are going to be allocated to those who need them," he said.
He said Government also wanted to empower its citizens in the spheres of commercial business and manufacturing industry.
"We want our people, blacks, to have control, to have more than 51 percent. Murungu hatichadi kuti awane zvinopfuura 49 percent. There should be minor shareholders and the same should be in the mining sector.
"We have made laws, but had not started using them and we want to do that for our children. Our children should not go to school so that they are other people’s workers.
"Tinoda kuzviitirawo, tizvivambire mabasa, tine mapurazi saka toda kuti vana vedu vaite varidzi vambabhizimusi aya. Whites can only come as partners while we control — ngavabate kutete isu tobata kukobvu.
"Ndozvirikurambwa naTsvangirai, hanzi varungu vauye vatonge. Ane zvakawanda zvaakataura, hanzi muchafa nenzara nekuti masiisa varungu mabasa."
President Mugabe castigated Tsvangirai for calling for sanctions against the country, which are now hurting the people.
"Tsvangirai akatenderera kunyika dzakawanda, akaenda kuSouth Africa akati dzimai magetsi, vakaramba. Akazoenda kuBritain kunokumbira masanctions, vakabvumira, vakati chakapusa achakuvadza hama dzake," he said.
President Mugabe said Government had stopped relying on the European countries after the sanctions and was looking East instead.
"Mari yekunze yatinenge taita inotorwa nemaAmericans nenyaya yemasanctions. Vanoti vanogwadama chete nemasanctions nekuti vakatora mapurazi. Takati never ever, hazviite. Tikati you can go hang, keep your little Britain and we can keep our Zimbabwe.
"Tiri vanhu vevhu. Hapana pasingararami tisina ivhu," he said.
President Mugabe castigated some companies that were undermining Government efforts to make goods available to the people by increasing prices after workers are awarded salary increments.
"We recently took to task Seed Co for hiking prices of wheat seed, which they reduced but we have heard that it has been increased again.
"These companies want to make things bad for us as we head for the elections. Izvozvo ngazviregerwe. We want that to stop so that we secure the future of the country, the future which is our land, heritage, kuzvitongera uye kuvanesimba rekutonga nyika yedu," he said.
He said there were many programmes to upgrade roads, increase electricity generation and others that have been affected by shortages of funds but Government was determined to complete these.
At the same rally, Amai Mugabe said people should vote for President Mugabe since he is fighting for the future generations.
"President Mugabe is a modest man who does not want to gain anything from ruling the country. He works for the people. But the whites are saying he is clever and they want to get rid of him.
"Tsvangirai has done nothing for the nation. He survives from what he gets from his white masters and comparing President Mugabe and Tsvangirai is an insult. People will only realise this after they have lost their land because they want sugar, salt and other foods," she said.
She said she was surprised that after getting implements to use on their farms, people still expected President Mugabe to give them more.
She said President Mugabe would not be removed from his position by any other person other than from the ruling party.
"Tsvangirai haapatsike paState House. Baba vanotobva kana pauya munhu weZanu-PF anoziva kuchengetedza nhaka yedu," she said.
Amai Mugabe also distributed over a thousand pairs of shoes to the community and 800 T-shirts to war veterans in the district while Cde Crispen Rwizi, who lost his tractor during an attack by MDC-T supporters, would get a replacement.
Labels: AMAI MUGABE, MDC VIOLENCE, MUGABE
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