2014: The rise of Zimbabwe's Grace Mugabe

By John Cassim

HARARE

 Zimbabwe's first lady, Grace Mugabe, entered active politics in 2014 with a bang, causing heads to roll and changing the face of the country's ruling party and government.

Her utterances at public meetings were able to split the ruling ZANU–PF, a political party that has remained in power since independence in 1980.

First Lady Grace, now 49, had served as secretary to President Robert Mugabe in the 1990s.

They had two children out of wedlock.

They married in 1996 after the death of Mugabe's first wife, Sally Hayfron, and soon after had their third child.

Grace has been nicknamed "DisGrace" and the "First Shopper," among other unflattering sobriquets, due to her extravagant lifestyle.

She started showing an interest in politics earlier this year and soon became the talk of the nation, with her rumored political ambitions making headlines.

Grace's approach to matters of secrecy in the ZANU–PF and government was totally different, however, as she opened up a can of worms filthy enough to cause a national scare.

She went all-out in attacking her husband's perceived foes, including then-Vice President Joyce Mujuru, who was until that point seen as the logical successor to the 90-year-old Mugabe.

Sharp-tongued Grace has described Mujuru as "corrupt, an extortionist, incompetent, a gossip, a liar and ungrateful."

She has also called the serving vice-president "power-hungry, daft, foolish, divisive and a disgrace."

Siding with his wife, Mugabe jumped on the bandwagon one week later, sacking Mujuru and several allied cabinet ministers.

The move, the first time a serving vice-president has been removed since Zimbabwe won independence from Britain in 1980, came only one week after Mugabe had edged Mujuru out of the ZANU-PF's powerful central committee during its elective congress.

At the same congress, Grace was elected head of the ruling party's women's wing.

Grace, known for her sharp tongue, is now seen as the most likely successor to her aging husband, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence.

Crusher

Grace has maintained political responsibilities as first lady since her marriage to Mugabe in 1996.

However, a few months ahead of the ruling party's elective congress in December, Zimbabweans were bombarded with noise from the First Lady.

"The noises she made whilst making serious allegations against the estranged Mujuru came as a shocker," said political analyst Joy Mabenge.

"I want to believe thousands of followers might have thought the First Lady was insane," he suggested.

From the time Grace started making noise, the state-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) – derisively nicknamed "Dead BC" by some critics – became a hit with most Zimbabweans.

The first lady started making frequent live television appearances, taking advantage of the publicity to attack her husband's deputy.

"I urge Joyce Mujuru to immediately resign or get fired," she said at a rally in Mazowe some 66km north of capital Harare.

The area is known for the production of oranges used to make a famous local drink called "Mazoe Orange Crush."

Grace was thereafter associated with the popular drink, the notion being that she was openly "crushing" her husband's enemies.

Shirts, t-shirts – even government busses – were soon inscribed with the phrase "Grace Mugabe, Mazoe Orange Crush."

Many initially thought Grace was insane for openly attacking Mujuru and other ruling party leaders – something that had never been seen before.

"Grace became a hero to several Zimbabweans as she appeared to be openly revealing party and government secrets, something never done before in the history of the country," said Phillip Pasirai, another analyst.

Many Zimbabweans were equally shocked when Grace began praising Mujuru's rival in the ZANU-PF, Emerson Mnangagwa, who – barely 24 hours after Mujuru's dismissal – was named first vice-president by President Mugabe.

"It's not about changing people in the party or government, but a complete change in the way politics is being run in Zimbabwe," said Pasirai.

Surprisingly, when President Mugabe made new government appointments recently, he left the gender and women's affairs portfolio vacant.

This opened the door to speculation that Grace might be elevated to the cabinet post, which is traditionally held by the leader of the ZANU-PF's women's wing – a title currently held by the first lady.

"It would be shocking to see President Mugabe appoint somebody else to that post considering that he is most certainly purging his people," analyst Pedzisai Ruhanya told AA.

"Mugabe would prefer people he trusts around him and this includes his wife," added Ruhanya.

Many believe Grace is eyeing far more than a mere cabinet seat.

"They say I want to be president. Why not? Am I not a Zimbabwean?" she asked rhetorically at a recent rally.

www.aa.com.tr/en