Skip to main content

For Zimbabwe's Mugabes, marriage is political and personal

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe plucked her from the secretarial pool decades ago to become his wife. Now Grace Mugabe is stirring speculation that she wants to succeed her 93-year-old husband as leader.
The power couple's extraordinary arc is deeply felt in this southern African nation. Many are pondering how their dynamic will affect the country, which is in economic decline and political limbo amid uncertainty how a leadership transition will unfold. Many in Zimbabwe have had no other president.
The 51-year-old Grace Mugabe is now her elderly husband's No. 1 protector, helping him when he struggled with a shovel at a recent tree-planting ceremony and declaring that he should run "as a corpse" in next year's election if he dies before the vote.
She has said their relationship is like any other (fights included, both have said). From their statements and body language in public, they seem to have each other's back amid the questions over who will be next in Zimbabwe to hold power.
"I live with him, cook for him, share the table with him and discuss many issues as a family," Grace Mugabe said adoringly to thousands of well-wishers at a birthday celebration for the president last month. "In other words, we share so many intimate discussions together, as many ordinary married couples could do."
A former teacher who studied law and economics in prison during the country's white minority rule, Robert Mugabe has been shrewd, soft-spoken and, to his opponents, ruthless. He is an African nationalist who likes finely tailored suits. Despite his fading vigor, he flies regularly to other countries, including Singapore for medical treatment.
His wife, previously lampooned for shopping expeditions and a doctorate obtained under questionable circumstances, has built a serious if polarizing political profile with charity work and frequent rallies. She has endured harsh criticism — a "prostitute" or a scheming Lady Macbeth, some have said — but has dished her own barbs.
The constitution says the senior of two vice presidents would take office if the president dies, resigns or is removed from power, but Grace Mugabe's feuds with some ruling ZANU-PF party factions have many people doubting that a leadership change would go by the book.
"She's in the mix," said Tom McDonald, a Washington-based lawyer who was U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe from 1997 to 2001. Meanwhile, he said, the relationship serves the political interests of both partners. The frail Robert Mugabe feeds off his wife's vibrancy, while she sponges up stature from his presidential aura.
Mugabe was a leader of the fight against white minority rule in Rhodesia, which became Zimbabwe after independence in 1980, and sparred with the West following its criticism of his land grabs from white farmers and its sanctions against the president, his wife and associates.
At his Feb. 25 birthday celebration, it was Grace Mugabe who blasted Europe and the United States, while her mostly subdued husband mused at times about mortality.
"Our erstwhile colonizers are fighting tooth and nail" to try to sabotage black empowerment programs in Zimbabwe, said Grace Mugabe, head of the women's league of the ruling party. Critics dismiss such arguments, saying the country's problems derive from mismanagement and repression under its longtime ruler.
Grace Mugabe has often talked about how she cares for the president, once telling him that it was time to end a speech. He chuckled, saying that was how she always treats him at home.
Jenni Williams, a human rights activist who has been arrested many times in Zimbabwe, speculated that there is a "political basis" in the relationship between the Mugabes, though she noted that Grace has a "separate, additional role" as the mother of her husband's three children.
"Perhaps the power has shifted from Mugabe to Grace as he has become more and more unwell," Williams said.
The couple had two children while Mugabe's first wife, Sally Hayfron, was ailing from the kidney failure that killed her in 1992. Grace split with her own husband, and her wedding to Mugabe in 1996 was attended by Nelson Mandela and other African leaders.
"What will happen to her when Mugabe is gone is another matter. Right now she is the most powerful, more powerful than Mugabe, I think," said Innocent Lijomeka, a university student in the capital, Harare.
Marian Mutsindikwu, a street vendor selling airtime for mobile phones, said she doesn't have "a problem" with Grace Mugabe.
"The first lady seems charitable," Mutsindikwu said. "However, the greatest gift she can give us is advising the old man to rest."
———
Associated Press writer Farai Mutsaka in Harare, Zimbabwe contributed.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

FG set to deploy first batch of CNG vehicles ahead of Tinubu's one year in office come 29th May 2024

  FG announce plans to deploy the first batch of CNG Vehicles ahead of first anniversary of Tinubu in office on May 29th 2024. Said N100 billion was allocated to purchase 5,500 CNG vehicles, 100 electric buses, and over 20,000 CNG conversion kits. Deployment of CNG vehicles is parts of FG’s vision to have at least one million natural gas propelled vehicles on the roads by 2027. The Federal Government has announced plans to start the deployment of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses and tricycles   for mass transit ahead of Tinubu administration’s first anniversary on May 29th. The move was disclosed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Sunday April 21st 2024. According to him, the Federal Government allocated N100 billion last year to purchase 5,500 CNG-powered vehicles (buses and tricycles), 100 electric buses, and over 20,000 CNG conversion kits. The funding, which is part of the N500 billion palliative budget, also suppo

CBN asks Nigerian banks to charge 0.5% cybersecurity levy on all transactions

  CBN asks Nigerian banks to charge 0.5% cybersecurity levy on all transactions   Jerry Wright-Ukwu May 7, 2024   Amid the prevailing challenges in Nigeria, deposit money banks across the country will now implement a 0.5% cybersecurity levy on transactions, as announced in a circular issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) dated May 6, 2024. According to the circular addressed to all commercial, merchant, non-interest, and payment service banks, as well as mobile money operators and payment service providers, the levy is in line with the provisions of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) ( amendment ) Act 2024. “Following the enactment of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) ( amendment ) Act 2024 and  pursuant to  the provision of Section 44 (2) (a) of the Act,  ‘a  levy of 0.5% (0.005) equivalent to a half  percent  of all electronic transactions value by the business specified in the Second Schedule of the Act’, is to be remitted to the National Cybersecurity F

Reasons why Man United will defeat arsenal this weekend

  Manchester United has the potential to claim victory against Arsenal for several concrete reasons: 1) Home Advantage: Playing at Old Trafford, United will have the backing of their home crowd, which could boost the team's morale and performance 2) Strong Attack: With players like Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, and Bruno Fernandes, United boasts a formidable attacking force that can break down Arsenal's defense. 3) Tactical Flexibility: Manager Erik ten Hag has shown adaptability in his tactics and can exploit Arsenal's weaknesses by adjusting his game plan accordingly. 4) Improved Defensive Stability: United has conceded fewer goals in recent matches, suggesting an improvement in their defensive capabilities, which could help them keep Arsenal's attackers at bay. 5) Motivation for Top-Four Finish: United's players will be highly motivated to secure a win against Arsenal, as it could significantly boost their chances of securing a top-four finish in the Premi