(SUNDAY MAIL ZW) ‘Land reform a success’
Sunday, 01 September 2013 03:58
Sunday Mail Reporter
Zimbabwe’s land reform programme has been a resounding success as evidenced by the manner in which millions of lives have been positively transformed through agriculture, the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe has said.
Speaking to journalists soon after touring several stands at the Harare Agricultural Show on Friday, Amai Mugabe highlighted the tobacco industry as a life changer.
She said she was happy to note that the majority of tobacco growers were beneficiaries of the land reform programme.
“I was impressed by the tobacco sector displays. It’s clear that the people of Zimbabwe are good at growing tobacco and are benefiting from growing it,” she said.
“It’s interesting to note that the land reform programme is already bearing fruit since the majority of tobacco growers are smallholder farmers.
“The (tobacco) prices are good and motivating farmers to go back to the field unlike what is happening in cotton where most farmers have withdrawn from its production.
“I see some schools are exhibiting agricultural products and I would like to urge youths not to do farming for the sake of passing the agriculture subject only; they should have their own farms.
“We instituted the land reform programme with the youths in mind.”
Amai Mugabe added that she was pleased by the Grain Marketing Board’s commercial projects.
“I was also impressed by GMB’s commercial projects, they told me that they are going to commission a stockfeed milling plant in November, which is a good thing since it will assist the parastatal to generate income,” she said.
Labels: GRACE MUGABE, LAND REFORM, TOBACCO
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(SUNDAY MAIL ZW) You will not starve: First Lady
Sunday, 21 July 2013 00:00
Bulawayo Bureau
First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe yesterday said villagers in Matabeleland South will not starve as long as she was alive and pledged to provide adequate food to the province.
Speaking at a star rally addressed by President Mugabe at Pelandaba Stadium in Gwanda yesterday, Amai Mugabe said: “I understand there has been poor rainfall and the
people of this province have nothing in their granaries so I have brought food for you.
“I pledge to provide regularly so that you do not starve. Matabeleland South should not starve when I, the mother of the nation, am there.”
Amai Mugabe said she was touched by the drought-induced circumstances of many villagers after being briefed by the provincial Governor and Resident Minister, Cde Angeline Masuku.
“The Governor briefed me about the hunger that has affected the people due to poor harvests, but I now want to ensure that everyone is fed and I will continually provide food for this province,” she said.
The First Lady then donated 10 tonnes of mealie meal; 10 tonnes of sugar beans; two tonnes of salt and 5 040 litres of cooking oil to the province.
The tens of thousands who thronged the stadium received the donation with gratitude.
The First Lady also gave the elderly food hampers.
In his address at the packed stadium, the President lamented recurrent droughts over the past few years.
“Droughts came one after another and as a nation we were affected greatly. Then when the inclusive Government was born, the nation was given false hope that food security was there yet in actual fact there was nothing.
“The inclusive Government was the worst Government ever since independence. It was born and things worsened, economic deterioration increased.
“You were deceived by the MDCs over dollarisation and by the fact that food was now available in shop shelves and thought all was well.”
Cde Mugabe said Zimbabweans could not afford to purchase imported foodstuff as industries were closed and many people unemployed.
Both President Mugabe and Amai Mugabe told the province that Zimbabwe is sourcing food from Zambia, adding that the grain would be distributed to needy areas on a regular basis.
On Friday last week, the First Lady donated more than 22 tonnes of foodstuff to thousands of villagers in Matabeleland North. She handed over the donation during President Mugabe’s star rally at Somhlolo Stadium in Lupane. The consignment consisted of 10 000kgs of mealie-meal, 10 000 kgs of sugar beans, two tonnes of salt and 560 cases of cooking oil.
Labels: GRACE MUGABE
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(HERALD ZW) First Lady rallies voters to President, Zanu-PF
Thursday, 18 July 2013 00:17
Paidamoyo Chipunza in CHIKOMBA
THE First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe has urged Zimbabweans to vote for President Mugabe in the harmonised elections because he is a selfless leader and God-chosen. Addressing tens of thousands of people at a rally at Madamombe Business Centre in Chikomba, Mashonaland East, yesterday, Amai Mugabe described President Mugabe’s leadership qualities as unique and ordained by God.
She said some people wished President Mugabe dead, ignoring that people die in God’s time and not at man’s will. Amai Mugabe said God was protecting the President because of his exemplary leadership.
“VaMugabe munhu anomiririra vanhu, vanoda vanhu, ndiBaba chaivo,” she said. “Vanongoona munhu wese ari hama yavo. Such leadership is unique and only comes from God-chosen people.”
Amai Mugabe said under the leadership of President Mugabe, about 15 000 students benefited from the Presidential Scholarship Scheme to study in various fields outside the country.
Amai Mugabe said people should correct their 2008 mistakes by voting for Zanu-PF and President Mugabe, describing 2008 as a period of temptation by the devil. The period, she said, was meant to make President Mugabe and Zanu-PF stronger.
“Everything good faces temptations to test its strength,” said Amai Mugabe. “What happened in 2008 was a clear temptation meant to test the President’s resilience.” Amai Mugabe said people should not be fooled by opposition leaders who only come to the people when it is election time but forget about them thereafter.
She added that Zimbabweans should not forget the atrocities perpetrated by the Smith regime whose interests the MDC-T seeks to protect.
She castigated Mr Tsvangirai for calling for economic sanctions, saying he is a bad leader who wants people to suffer first for them to vote for him.
Amai Mugabe said many lives were lost during the liberation struggle and some children never returned from war front all in an effort to liberate the country from the colonial regime.
Amai Mugabe castigated homosexuality being advocated by MDC-T in the disguise of human rights campaign, saying the practice is against African morals and values. She called on youths not to use technology to borrow cultures from other societies.
Amai Mugabe said people should desist from violence during and after the harmonised elections, but should foster the culture of dialogue in solving disputes.
She donated food stuffs worth thousands of dollars to the Madamombe community. Among the food stuffs were 10 tonnes of maize meal, 10 tonnes of sugar beans, 2 tonnes of salt and 560 cases of 12x2 litres cooking oil.
Addressing the same gathering, Zanu-PF senatorial candidate for Mutoko Cde Olivia Muchena said people should resoundingly vote for Zanu-PF for them not to enter into an inclusive Government again.
“People were angry because of hunger. But this time we are saying let’s go and vote in our numbers so that we win resoundingly and do not go into an inclusive Government.”
Labels: GRACE MUGABE
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Joyce Banda: Mugabe's charmed new ally
Getting along well ... Banda with Mugabe and his wife Grace in Mazowe on Thursday
25/04/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
SHE was cast as the new poster girl for western imperialism in the region by Zimbabwe’s state-run media, but Malawian President Joyce Banda – on a five-day state visit to Zimbabwe – is facing anything but hostility from her hosts.
Banda arrived on Tuesday to a royal welcome with not just President Robert Mugabe at the Harare International Airport to meet her but Vice President Joice Mujuru too.
The entire security services top brass was also there as Banda was treated to a 21-gun salute and a 21-gun salute and asked to inspect a guard of honour.
Her elevation to President of Malawi was a major inconvenience for Mugabe, who had in Banda’s late predecessor, the late Bingu wa Mutharika, a staunch ally against what both men saw as western encroachment into their countries’ internal affairs and manipulation of political processes to prop up puppet opposition leaders.
Since assuming the presidency on April 12 last year following Mutharika’s sudden death, Banda has implemented a raft of reforms and pursued a different economic course to his predecessor, principally a massive devaluation of the kwacha and the removal of major subsidies on fuel and other commodities, all in the name of attracting foreign investment.
In her first contact with Zimbabwe, she demanded the immediate full settlement of a 2007 US$23 million loan granted in the form of maize.
The immediate prize for her actions was a three-year loan of $157 million from the International Monetary Fund which is back in Malawi pursuing its long-running project of structural adjustment. These funds had been withheld from the recalcitrant Mutharika, along with an $80 million credit facility.
Western nations increased aid to Malawi, led by former colonial power Britain which remains locked in a diplomatic spat with Mugabe, who was slapped with European Union sanctions since 2000.
The US-based international NGO World Justice Project (WJP) praised Banda as a bright spark for democracy in Africa.
“If we are to see change in the region and the rest of the developing world, it is time to highlight and support the work of countries that are committed to forging ahead,” the WJP said about Malawi.
Banda’s open line to the West – Mugabe’s pet enemy – unnerved those in the Zimbabwean leader’s inner circle who began to see Banda as a Trojan Horse in the regional solidarity against the alleged Western interference.
The state-run Herald newspaper said in an editorial that “Malawi is a good example of why we should never sell our nations to the donor community. President Joyce Banda is today a darling of the donor community because she is dancing to their tune.”
Caesar Zvayi, one of the newspaper’s senior editors, suggested that Banda “does not have a mind of her own” while calling her a “Western appeaser”.
But Mugabe, demonstrating the enigma that has kept him in power for 33 years, then pulled a surprise move, inviting the Malawian leader to officially open the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo on Friday.
Mugabe’s motivations are many, not least the fact that Malawi is an important neighbour and traditional ally for Zimbabwe with a shared colonial past. But the Zanu PF leader would also have had one eye on elections expected within months in the immediate aftermath of which he will need endorsement by regional leaders, should he emerge victorious.
On Wednesday, Banda visited the Boka Tobacco Auction Floors where she witnessed firsthand how black farmers, most of them beneficiaries of land reforms championed by Mugabe in the face of international condemnation, are thriving.
“I am impressed by your programmes in the agricultural sector and I have already planned to go back and send a group of our experts to come and learn from our brothers and sisters,” she said.
On Thursday, President Mugabe and the First Lady Grace Mugabe took Banda on the road to Mazowe where she was given a tour of the couple’s Gushungo Dairy Estate; the Grace Mugabe Children’s Home for orphans and the Amai Mugabe Junior School.
“Throughout my adulthood, I have been running a lot, including mobilising underprivileged children, but what I saw today makes me feel small,” gushed Banda, who was accompanied by her husband, Retired Chief Justice Richard Banda.
On Friday, Banda officially opens the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo, the final official engagement of her first visit to Malawi’s southern neighbour as President.
Whether her trip will lift any mistrust remains to be seen but the old fox Mugabe will hope he has recruited a new ally, even a passive one.
Labels: GRACE MUGABE, JOYCE BANDA, ROBERT MUGABE
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Mugabe expected in Zambia today
TIME PUBLISHED - Thursday, August 2, 2012, 10:59 am
President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe is expected in Zambia today to officiate at the 86th Agricultural and Commercial show which opened its gates to the public at 08: 00 hours. Mr. Mugabe is expected to be accompanied by his wife Grace.
According to the updates from the meeting of the Standing Committee of Permanent Secretaries on State Functions held last week at Cabinet office in Lusaka, Mr. Mugabe is scheduled to land at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport tomorrow at about 13:00 hours.
He is later scheduled to hold talks with President Michael Sata at State House which will be followed by a state banquet in the evening.
Mr. Mugabe is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Zambia’s first President Kenneth Kaunda at his office on Friday and later visit SARO Agro Industries within Lusaka.
On the same day, the Zimbabwean Head of State is expected to visit ZAMBEEF Huntley Farm in Chisamba, which is located less than 100 kilometres from the city.
Presidents Mugabe and Sata are on Saturday expected to be at the show grounds for the officials opening of the 86th Agricultural and Commercial show.
The two Presidents will earlier on the same day tour stands and pavilions.
As the two presidents will be touring, First lady Christine Kaseba-Sata will lead her Zimbabwean counterpart in touring selected stands before joining their husbands for the official opening in the afternoon.
The show society has since organised a luncheon at midday for the two Heads of State and the First Ladies at the Polo Grill which is just behind the show grounds.
Mr. Mugabe and his wife are expected to leave for Zimbabwe on Sunday morning.
Labels: GRACE MUGABE, MICHAEL SATA, ROBERT MUGABE, ZAMBEEF
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Grace Mugabe takes on Nestle
Fighting back ... Grace Mugabe launching a range of milk products
04/07/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
THEY say nothing beats a mother’s milk, and Zimbabweans are soon to find out. Zimbabwe’s supermarkets this week began stocking dairy products from First Lady Grace Mugabe’s farm in Mazowe – a brazen challenge to Swiss food conglomerate, Nestle, which bowed to political pressure to stop buying milk from Gushungo Dairy Estate.
The country’s biggest supermarket chain, OK, on Wednesday was selling pints of fresh milk and sour milk under Mugabe's Alpha Omega brand. Also being processed at the farm is powdered milk, ice cream and various other products which will soon enter a market dominated by Nestle.
Zimbabwean blogger Cynic Harare observed that the packaging was “pretty dull”, but added: “It tastes like milk, which means it’s better than some stuff around. It’s a bit cheaper too.”
In a recent interview with state media, President Robert Mugabe’s wife boasted that her dairy farm had 2,000 cows and was the second biggest in the SADC region, with the capacity to milk 64 cows at one go.
In 2009, Nestle announced it would stop buying milk from Gushungo Dairy Estate – built on a farm which was seized from a white farmer – after coming under pressure from rights activists who threatened to campaign for a boycott of Nestle products.
Labels: DAIRY, GRACE MUGABE, LAND REFORM, NESTLE
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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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Grace Mugabe shows off dairy project
Social awareness ... Grace Mugabe visits her projects with Zambian First Lady, Dr Christine Kaseba
26/04/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe wife, Grace is set to commission major upgrades at her “state of the art” Gushungo Dairy Project, state media reported Thursday. The facility, which boats a 1,300 herd of cattle, producing about 8 000 litres of milk per day is set to be commissioned next month, according to ZBC radio.
Mugabe took her Zambia counterpart, Dr Christine Kaseba on a tour of the farm on Thursday. Dr Kaseba is in Zimbabwe accompanying husband, President Michael Sata on a state visit. Sata was due to officially open the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo on Friday.
Gushungo Dairy was at the centre of a media storm in 2009 when global foods giant Nestle ordered its Zimbabwe unit to stop buying milk from the farm.
The move came after human rights groups called for a world-wide boycott of the Swiss multinational’s products over its links with the Mugabes.
However, Zanu PF officials reacted angrily to the development forcing the temporary closure of the local factory with the company accusing government officials and police of trying to force staff to accept milk deliveries.
Youth Empowerment and Indigenisation Minister, Saviour Kasukuwere and his Agriculture counterpart, Joseph Made visited the firm and accused senior executives of “imposing sanctions” on local suppliers.
Operations only resumed in January 2010 after a deal was reached under which Gushungo would make its deliveries to a national pool from which Nestle then sourced its requirements.
Meanwhile, Dr Kaseba also visited the Grace Mugabe Children’s Home in Mazowe valley along with several other projects the First Lady is carrying out in the area.
Strapping one of the facility’s children on her back, Mugabe took her counterpart on tour of the facility which comprises over 30 modern houses, all at different stages of completion. Some 24 orphaned children already live in three houses that have already been completed.
Work is also continuing on the Grace Mugabe Primary School with up to 1000 students expected to be enrolled when it is completed in December this year.
Labels: GRACE MUGABE
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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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First Lady urges voters not be fooled again
Tuesday, 21 December 2010 21:24
Herald Reporter
The First Lady, Amai Grace Mugabe, has urged those who voted against Zanu-PF in previous elections to return to the party, saying they were being fooled by the MDC.
The First Lady was speaking when she officially handed over Dora Clinic in Mutare District after Zanu-PF renovated it as part of its programme for the 11th Annual National People’s Conference held last week in Mutare.
"You now know that what you were promised by the MDC did not happen," said Amai Mugabe.
"For next year’s elections, we must be clever and not be fooled. People lied during the elections and they did not come back to fulfil what they promised you."
Amai Mugabe said those who voted against Zanu-PF should be persuaded in a polite way to return to the fold.
She said women should be at the forefront of the campaign for Zanu-PF to regain parliamentary seats it lost to the MDC-T.
The First Lady said people should understand that President Mugabe stood for the people’s welfare.
"I know him because he is my husband," she said. "He has nothing for himself, but he keeps on working for the people."
Amai Mugabe said MDC-T had been handed ministries through the inclusive Government which it had accused Zanu-PF of failing to run.
But structures in the ministries, she said, were now worse off.
Amai Mugabe urged people to promote peace in their communities in line with Zanu-PF’s ideology.
She said people in Manicaland should be more conscious of the liberation struggle because many fighters hailed from the province because of its proximity to Mozambique that was used as a base.
She said proceeds from companies that mine diamonds in Manicaland should be channelled towards improving infrastructure in schools and hospitals.
"We want people to live in peace and unity which should set the correct path for our development," said Amai Mugabe.
She said parents should teach their children the effects of HIV and Aids and encourage them not to engage in activities that put them into temptation.
The renovation of Dora Clinic, Amai Mugabe said, was important in that it would improve service delivery in the local health system. She rebuked those who have a penchant for stealing property from such institutions as clinics.
Dora Clinic, that was built in 1992, serves more than 12 000 people and is made up of four beds in the male ward, four in the female ward, five in the post-natal ward and three others in the labour ward.
The handing over of the clinic was witnessed by Manicaland provincial governor Cde Christopher Mushohwe, Senate President and Zanu-PF Politburo member Cde Edna Madzongwe, Zanu-PF Manicaland provincial chairman, Cde Mike Madiro and Zanu-PF Politburo member Cde David Parirenyatwa as well as other Politburo and Central Committee members.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 December 2010 22:56
Labels: GRACE MUGABE, ZANU-PF
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Grace Mugabe sues paper over WikiLeaks story
HARARE, ZIMBABWE Dec 16 2010 11:02
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's wife is suing a newspaper for $15-million for publishing a WikiLeaks cable saying she benefited from illicit diamond trade, media reported on Thursday.
Last week, the Standard newspaper quoting a cable sent by United States ambassador James McGee to Washington in 2008, reported that Grace Mugabe gained millions of dollars from illegal diamonds mining, in the Marange district of eastern Zimbabwe.
The state-owned Herald reported that the First Lady had on Wednesday filed the defamation suit against the Standard.
"The plaintiff is of high standing in Zimbabwe ... furthermore she is the wife of His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe," Mugabe's lawyer, George Chikumbirike said.
'Mother of the nation'
"The imputation of such conduct on a person of such high standing, the mother of the nation, is to lower the respect with which is held by all right thinking persons, to a point of disappearance," said the summons.
Chikumbirike said the article wrongly portrayed Grace as corrupt in that "she used her position as the First Lady to access diamonds clandestinely, enriching herself in circumstances in which the country was facing serious foreign currency shortages".
In the cable, McGee says "high-ranking Zimbabwean government officials and well-connected elites are generating millions of dollars in personal income by hiring teams of diggers to hand-extract diamonds".
The cable then discussed a meeting with Andrew Cranswick, chief executive of the British mining firm African Consolidates Resources, that had a claim to the Chiadzwa mine revoked by the Harare government, according to McGee.
"According to Cranswick, there is a small group of high-ranking Zimbabwean officials who have been extracting tremendous diamond profits from Chiadzwa," it said, naming Mugabe's wife Grace and Central Bank governor Gideon Gono.
Other Zimbabwean government officials implicated in the scandal include Vice-President Joyce Mujuru and the head of the army, General Constantine Chiwenga, according to the cable. - AFP
Labels: ANDREW CRANSWICK, DEFAMATION, GRACE MUGABE, MARANGE DIAMOND FIELDS, WIKILEAKS
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This goes beyond tabloid journalism. This is about propaganda against ZANU-PF, before the 2011 elections. Is it any surprise that the BBC was thrown out of the country? They put a few South Africans on the job of reporting for them (Grant Ferret), and they are surprised that they choose racial solidarity over any allegiance they have to the journalistic profession?
Gono-Grace affair: Jon Swain's scandalous scoop
by Geoffrey Nyarota
01/11/2010 00:00:00
LAST week Zimbabwe was rocked by the scandalous details of an alleged affair between First Lady Grace Mugabe and the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Gideon Gono. While the details of the sensational Sunday Times story reverberated on the Internet around the world, none of the Zimbabwean newspapers touched it.
The Sunday Times recently launched a special Zimbabwean edition of the newspaper. While the details of the Gono/Mugabe affair would make more relevant reading in Harare than in Johannesburg and London, the majority of the population of Zimbabwe, those without access to the Internet, remained largely ignorant of the alleged scandal.
That was until copies of the article were printed on office computers and circulated in Harare.
Reporter Jon Swain’s scandalous scoop has raised many an eyebrow, particularly within the Zimbabwe media many asking, “Is the story true?”
I will attempt to provide a logical response to that question.
I seek to address fundamental issues of professional and ethical journalism in the context of the strategies employed in the construction of Swain’s article.
A source close to both Gono and Grace told an online publication the story was “littered with falsehoods”.
“The story claims Cain Chademana was a senior police officer and a decorated veteran of Zimbabwe’s independence struggle,” she said.
“That’s a decorated lie because Chademana died aged 36, and (was) therefore too young to have fought in any war. Again, he was never a police officer.”
The source said around the time Sabina Mugabe is supposed to have spoken to President Mugabe about his wife’s alleged infidelity, she was in a coma and was, therefore, unable to speak.
Both Sabina Mugabe and Chademana, the only two witnesses who could testify in court to the veracity of the alleged facts, are dead and, therefore, not available to help their defence. The Sunday Times was cognisant of this.
Another give-away indication that there might be more to Swain’s story than meets the eye is the manner in which he handles his sources.
On one occasion, Swain apparently conducted a group interview with several (CIO) officials.
Not only did Swain accomplish the rare feat of persuading CIO officials to be interviewed as a group, which is very unlikely; he also got them to articulate whole sentences, while speaking in unison, which, of course is impossible.
A Zimbabwean journalist who also cannot be named, said he had known Chademana personally from 1997 when he was security aide to the late Edison Zvobgo.
“Chademana was probably 36-38 years at the time of his death,” he said.
“He was almost my age, and would never have gone to war. In fact, he went to school with my journalist colleagues, and finished his A-Levels here in 1992.”
The journalist said Chademana had been unwell for a long time.
Suspect investigative journalism
Many journalists in Harare have openly marvelled at Swain’s apparent long-distance penchant for cultivating hordes of sources, even in the most unlikely places. Apparently, he remarkably has several sources within the ranks of Zimbabwe’s much feared Central Intelligence Organisation and also within the fortress that is the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and at Mugabe’s Gushungo Dairy Farm.
Normally, only a journalist with suicidal tendencies would pester “the boys in dark glasses” with pointed questions about the alleged secret love life of the First Lady of Zimbabwe, before proceeding to her farm to do the same among the farm workers.
The security arrangements around the farm would be above average. It is unlikely a white journalist straight off a flight from London would be pampered with details of which bedroom the lady of the house uses when allegedly visiting with the governor of the Reserve Bank.
The late Sabina Mugabe, the President’s sister, who allegedly warned him of the existence of an illicit affair between his wife and his trusted banker, died on July 29, 2010. Swain reports that she had spoken to her brother three days earlier on July 26.
Mugabe was photographed in Kampala, Uganda on July 24. He attended the opening ceremony of the African Union summit on July 25 and the closing function on July 27. He, therefore, could not have been in Harare on July 26.
Swain’s article claims that the conversation between the President and his sister was witnessed by his bodyguard Cain Chademana who died on Thursday August 26, exactly one month after the alleged hospital bedside revelation by the late Sabina.
The Sunday Times story said Chademana “mysteriously died … a matter of days later”, that is after listening to the conversation between the Mugabes. Citing intelligence sources, the Sunday Times stated categorically that Chademana had been “poisoned under Mugabe’s instructions by Mugabe’s intelligence men, allegedly employing an undetectable poison.”
Swain quotes state security officials as telling him that when Mugabe summoned Chademana in August the bodyguard had admitted that he knew something was going on, which he had not mentioned before.
“It was a fatal admission,” Swain concludes. “A few days later, at the end of August, Chademana mysteriously died.”
To suggest that Chademana died mysteriously is a major contradiction in terms, given that Swain has already built a case of murder by administering “an undetectable poison”.
The last word went to Leo Mugabe, the first-born son of the late Sabina Mugabe.
“For the last three years of her life my mother suffered from memory loss caused by the last stroke that she had in 2006,” he said on Saturday. “If anyone claims that he engaged in any conversation with her during that time, it would be a lie.”
Unfortunately, should it turn out that Swain’s sensational article is nothing more than mere pub talk elevated by him to the status of a major international scoop, the most dire consequences would probably be felt far away from London; back here in Harare.
Geoffrey Nyarota is a veteran Zimbabwean journalist and author. This article was ioriginally published in The Standard newspaper
Labels: GIDEON GONO, GRACE MUGABE, JOURNALISM, PROPAGANDA
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COMMENT - The real face of the MDC.
Gono-First Lady affair denied, threat to sue
by Staff Reporters
25/10/2010 00:00:00
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe was on Monday said to be preparing to take an unprecedented step to sue both the British and South African Sunday Times newspapers following damaging claims that his wife, Grace, was having an affair with Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono. Gono, the First Lady and a retired Air Force official named in stories published on Sunday would join in the action, a source said.
Both Gono, 51, and Grace, nee Marufu, 45, strongly deny having an affair, and according to a mutual friend of the pair, “they are ready to go to war” with the Sunday Times.
“There is a major meeting planned for Wednesday which will be attended by lawyers and advisers to the President and Gono,” the source said. “But be in no doubt, we are going to see one of the biggest libel lawsuits ever because this story is a mendacious hatchet job which should never have been published.”
In an e-mail to New Zimbabwe.com on Monday, the source, who asked not to be named, said The Sunday Times’ story was “so sloppy that they lacked the courage to put it in their Zimbabwe edition.”
The story, written by Jon Swain and published simultaneously by the South African and British Sunday Times newspapers, alleged Gono and Grace had been having an affair for five years, and had romped in hotels in Malaysia, Cape Town, a South African house owned by retired Air Vice-Marshal Robert Mhlanga and even on a farm owned by the First Lady.
News of the affair, according to the Sunday Times, was broken to Mugabe on July 26 this year by his dying sister, Sabina. Mugabe’s bodyguard, Cain Chademana, was present in the discussion but “mysteriously died … a matter of dies later”. Citing intelligence sources, the Times said he had been “poisoned under Mugabe's instructions by Mugabe's intelligence men, allegedly employing an undetectable poison.”
But our source, who said she had been in contact with both Gono and the First Lady since the story broke, told New Zimbabwe.com the story was “littered with falsehoods”.
For instance, she pointed out, on July 26, President Robert Mugabe was IN UGANDA attending an African Union summit and therefore could not have met his sister. The Sunday Times also wrote that Sabina died after a short illness.
But our source says around the time she is supposed to have met Mugabe and told her of his wife’s infidelity, she was in a coma and unable to speak.
New Zimbabwe.com has checked her claims which would appear to be backed by comments made by President Mugabe at a funeral wake for his sister on July 29.
Mugabe said Sabina first suffered a stroke in 1995 which “damaged a third of her brain”. Physically she would appear well, but mentally she became somehow confused, Mugabe said.
In devastating remarks which strike at the heart of the Times’ story, Mugabe went on to say: “I last saw her when I visited the hospital [July 24] on my way to Uganda. She could recognise me. I looked at her and she was very frail but at least she could recognise me.”
Mugabe was at the opening ceremony of the AU summit in Kampala, Uganda, on July 25. Lawyers for Gono, the First Lady and Mhlanga will point out that the central plank of the Sunday Times’ story – the said conversation between Sabina and the President -- therefore falls away.
Our source went on to point out various inaccuracies in the story, stating: “If they can’t get the small things right, how can they be believed on the major issues?”
She said: “The story claims Sally Mugabe died in 1996. That’s a lazy lie because she was already four years dead that year.
“The story claims Cain Chademana was a senior police officer and a decorated veteran of Zimbabwe’s independence struggle. That’s a decorated lie because Chademana died aged 36, and therefore too young to have fought in any war. Again, he was never a police officer.
“As a matter of fact, Chademana had an illness known to all those who worked with him and I can tell you it was neither poisonous nor mysterious. Many months before his death, he had taken leave and was nowhere near the President.
“The story claims that Grace and Gideon met at Mhlanga’s house in Johannesburg for trysts. If that were true, why would Mugabe go on and reward Mhlanga with diamond concessions in Marange as chairman of Mbada Diamonds?
“Gono played a major role in organising Sabina’s funeral. You don’t let a man who has been sleeping with your wife organise your sister’s burial; then let him sit a few feet behind you at the burial; especially if that same sister told you he was bedding your wife.
“The Sunday Times story is very sloppy, to say the least. In every paragraph you can find something wrong, if you really want to, and the biggest puzzle is that editors in London and Johannesburg saw no problem with it. Neither did they seek comments from the people whose names they published – a most basic journalism rule.
“They have made a bed, but far from Gideon and Grace sleeping in it, their editors will lie in it. They must prepare to live with the consequences.”
Attempts to obtain a comment from Gono drew a blank as he was was said to be in meetings with a visiting IMF delegation on Monday, while Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba was unreachable.
The latest threat against the Sunday Times follows a turbulent year for the paper which has run several retractions, including a damaging apology for a story claiming that Transnet -- the company behind South Africa's national transport businesses – was “selling out our sea to foreigners”.
Journalists from the paper have been facing a barrage of questions from South African TV and radio stations since Sunday. One of the editors from the paper told e.tv news channel that they were challenging Mugabe to deny the story, “then we’ll expose him”.
If Mugabe goes ahead with the threatened action, he would join South African President Jacob Zuma who sued Britain's Guardian newspaper for libel and won in March this year.
Zuma accepted "very substantial" libel damages and an apology at the High Court from the Guardian over claims he was a rapist. He sued after publication of an article headlined ‘Get used to a corrupt and chaotic South Africa’ by Simon Jenkins which appeared on March 6.
His solicitor, Jenny Afia, told Mr Justice Eady at the High Court the piece alleged the president was guilty of rape, corruption and bribery arising from his involvement in an arms deal. She told the court: "Such allegations are of the utmost seriousness and totally untrue."
Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS (ZIMBABWE), GIDEON GONO, GRACE MUGABE, PROPAGANDA, ROBERT MUGABE
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Vultures want to stop indigenisation: President Mugabe
TH/TZG
Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:59:00 +0000
THERE are vultures and aggressors bent on destabilising our country and stopping the Government’s indigenisation and empowerment policy and Zimbabweans should remain vigilant, President Mugabe said yesterday. He said, these people were keen on destabilising the unity prevailing in the country through interfering in the internal affairs of the nation.
Addressing thousands of people gathered at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair grounds for 21st February Movement commemorations, President Mugabe said: “We know there are vultures, aggressors, imperialists and neo-imperialists who would want to interfere with our systems.”
The Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment (General) Regulations, which operationalise the country’s indigenisation drive, take effect tomorrow.
"The policy, like the land reform programme, was designed to redress the historical imbalances in the ownership of the economy," said the president.
He added that the policy is not meant to nationalise companies but to broaden the ownership of the economy in a manner that recognises the sovereign right of the people of Zimbabwe, and was therefore an opportunity to broaden the country’s industrial base by supporting indigenous entrepreneurs in the production of various goods and services.
“The inclusive process of indigenisation and empowerment encompasses the progressive transformation of the economy through the creation of opportunities that will enable Zimbabweans, including youth, to meaningfully participate in economic activities associated with growth and enterprise development as opposed to redistribution of wealth,” he said.
President Mugabe said the policy was augmenting the theme of this year’s 21st February celebrations.
The celebrations were held under the theme “Promoting Unity in Defence of Natural Resources, Cultural Values and Economic Empowerment”.
He said to achieve the objectives of the policy, the people of Zimbabwe must be united and maintain a culture of oneness.
If the country is united, said President Mugabe, then the people will be able to promote themselves and pass this from one generation to another.
"Resources in the country belong to the people of this country hence it is only indigenous people who can determine how they are used.
“We are saying no, no, no the land is ours, the gold is ours, the uranium and forests and the wildlife are all ours.”
He said the people of Zimbabwe will fight for their resources in the same manner they fought the imperialists to be freed from the yoke of colonial bondage.
President Mugabe said it was up to the people of Zimbabwe to organise themselves so that they can take advantage of the opportunities created by the indigenisation policy.
President Mugabe took a swipe at European countries and the United States for maintaining sanctions against the country.
“Leave us alone and remove those sanctions. Those sanctions are impeding the development of the Government. Why of all countries should Zimbabwe be burdened with sanctions? What sin did Zimbabwe commit? Those who have imposed sanctions, can they tell us?”
The event was attended by First Lady Grace Mugabe and the First Family, Vice Presidents Joice Mujuru and John Nkomo, members of Zanu-PF’s Politburo and Central Committee, members of the diplomatic corps, party supporters and schoolchildren.
Labels: GRACE MUGABE, INDEPENDENCE, INDIGENIZATION AND EMPOWERMENT ACT (ZIMBABWE), MUGABE, NEOCOLONIALISM, SOVEREIGNTY
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Zimbabwe's sovereignty non-negotiable: Pres Mugabe
The Herald/TZG
Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:18:00 +0000
President Robert Mugabe and his wife Amai Grace Mugabe arrive for the burial of national heroine Amai Sunny Takawira at National Heroes Acre in Harare January 18, 2010. REUTERS
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe said that Zimbabwe’s sovereignty is non-negotiable and outsiders will only be entertained as partners in exploiting its resources for the development of the nation. He said Zimbabwe’s destiny lies in Zimbabwean hands.
The president was delivering a eulogy at the Heroes Acre burial of liberation struggle heroine Amai Sunny Ntombiyelanga Takawira. Amai Takawira was the widow of the late veteran nationalist and first Zanu vice president Leopold Takawira.
"Her death comes at a time when the country is going through challenging moments both in terms of economic recovery and political stability.
"All those who lie buried here fought for one thing — an independent Zimbabwe whose destiny lies in the hands of its citizens.
"This is the enduring legacy that we the surviving ones should guard jealously and bequeath to future generations," President Mugabe told mourners.
President Mugabe accused former colonizer Britain and the United States of meddling in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs, saying Zimbabweans must resist foreign domination.
He added that Zimbabwe’s interests came first and the citizenry must be prepared to defend these.
"The country’s sovereignty is non-negotiable, and the unity of our people remains paramount in all our endeavours.
"Equally, peace in our country must continue to prevail to ensure that development will occur uninterrupted.
"Let us honour our heroes by ensuring that each one of us, wherever we are, promotes unity, harmony and peace in our country."
Describing the heroine as "a special woman", the President said Mai Takawira's death had touched many Zimbabweans.
He said Mai Takawira had devoted her entire life to national service and raising her family.
"She executed her responsibilities and duties faithfully, humbly and with passion, but all the time avoiding drawing public attention to herself.
"Amai Takawira was publicity-shy and allowed her good works to speak eloquently for themselves.
"No wonder many people might ask, who this person is the country has bestowed the honour of national heroine status."
President Mugabe’s relationship with the Takawira family dates back to the time the late former Zanu vice president Takawira was at Kutama Mission.
President Mugabe and the late Takawira both worked as teachers before they joined hands in such political parties as the National Democratic Party, Zapu and Zanu.
"Cde Takawira started the NDP with others when I was in Ghana and when I came back, that is when I got to know her.
"She was looking after a big family in Highfield.
"She, however, looked after the family. She made sure that the family was fed and when we were arrested and detained, Amai Takawira suffered in the hands of the colonialists," he said.
The President said Mai Takawira’s legacy was a resolute and strong person who never looked back was admirable.
"She remained morally straight and was respected by everyone. Although she was persecuted by the settler regime for providing information to political detainees, she never wavered.
President Mugabe said at the time of Ian Smith's Unilateral Declaration of Independence, revolutionaries were taken to Harare Central Prison and Takawira became ill due to diabetes. He was refused medication.
"He was put in solitary confinement as the authorities accused him of trying to sneak out of prison to see his wife who worked at Harare Hospital.
"He was only discovered later when he had collapsed and was found lying on the floor of his cell.
He said Mai Takawira was never informed of the illness or death of her husband, but she never waivered, remaining resolute in her fight for freedom.
"Amai Takawira remained resolute and fought till we achieved independence," President Mugabe said in vernacular Shona.
After independence in 1980, President Mugabe said, Government recognised Mai Takawira’s contribution to the struggle and honoured her with a Senate seat.
"As a senator, she continued to look after her family and today is a day to give her the respect she deserves.
Amai Takawira was born on July 2, 1927 in Dube Village under Chief Madhuna in Filabusi, Matabeleland South Province.
A second child and the oldest girl in a family of seven, she grew up in Nkayi and was educated at Hope Fountain Mission.
She trained as a nurse at Mnene Mission Hospital in Mberengwa and on graduation worked at Gokwe Mission.
In 1955, she joined Harare Central Hospital and was among the pioneer nurses in the Casualty and Outpatients Department.
She married Cde Takawira that year and beca-me a stepmother to his six children.
Amai Takawira had three children — Samuel Hamandishe, Leo Tafirenyika and Gertrude Ratidzo.
She died at 82 on Wednesday from complications arising from a surgical operation.
She is survived by two of her children — Samuel Hamandishe and Gertrude — and eight grandchildren.
Present at the funeral were the two Vice Presidents Joice Mujuru and John Nkomo, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his deputies Arthur Mutambara and Thokozani Khupe, Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku, Senate President Edna Madzongwe, Cabinet ministers, Zanu PF Politburo members, parliamentarians, service chiefs and Deputy Harare Mayor Emmanuel Chiroto. - The Herald/TZG
Labels: FDI, GRACE MUGABE, INDEPENDENCE, MUGABE, NEOLIBERALISM, SOVEREIGNTY
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Mugabe workers ‘besiege’ Nestle
by
18/12/2009 00:00:00
AT LEAST six workers from Grace Mugabe’s dairy farm, Gushungo Dairy Estates, stormed the company headquarters of Nestle Zimbabwe demanding that the company resumes milk orders terminated in October, it was claimed.
Workers at the Swiss food conglomerate claimed the six men arrived just after lunch and demanded to see “whoever is in charge so that they can deliver milk”. One Nestle employee said the six were driving in a white ERF truck parked outside the company’s HQ along Park Lane.
“These guys meant business I tell you,“ the employee said. The six men are said to have met with Nestle managing director Heath Tilley and finance director, Farai Munetsi, who drove them out of the premises to an undisclosed location – thought to be the Meikles Hotel.
By late Thursday afternoon, neither Tilley nor Munetsi were available for comment as they were both said to be in meetings.
Nestle stopped making milk orders at Gushungo Estates after being pressured by foreign rights groups and its business partners who threatened to boycott its products.
Nestle was buying 10 to 15 percent of milk processed at its Harare plant from Mugabe’s farm.
Labels: DAIRY, GRACE MUGABE, GUSHUNGO DAIRY ESTATE, MUGABE, NESTLE, SANCTIONS
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