Reflections on the milestone
I turned 50 on Thursday and I feel very honoured that God gave me all these years to survive. I know there are quite a number of people that I went to school with who have already passed on.I would have really wanted to see many more people live to their full potential. I should really celebrate getting to 50 years and being intact; being able to see and walk because anything could have happened to me before I got to this age.
Of course, I have been sick along the way, but I want to thank God for having sustained me to this day.
So many things have happened in my life, of course, having been given the opportunity to be the First Lady of this nation. That has been a really great honour bestowed on me and I thank my husband for having chosen me for his life partner.
It has also given me many opportunities to do a lot of things that I probably would not have been able to do if I wasn’t in this position.
I have said before that I have been given this opportunity and I grabbed it; ran with it and tried to use it also to benefit the under-privileged in terms of the work I do – charity work.
But also, I have not let that position get to my head. I can quote Shakespeare: “Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.”
I feel greatness has been thrust upon me. I wasn’t born the First Lady, but I said to myself, “Here is an opportunity. I have been given this opportunity to do something. I am in a privileged position and I must do something for this nation.”
I am a person who loves working; I am a workaholic and keep to myself most of the time, working. So, I decided that I would not want to sit on my laurels, relaxing, but I want also to do what others are doing.
I see people working, achieving a lot in life and I said, “I did not have the opportunity even to do a degree because my father died when I was 19.”
I said I would continue reading.
I did A-Level on my own then went on to register for a degree at the University of London, which did not succeed. I was studying for an English degree.
Later, I decided to study with the University of China. They had come to establish a college at the University of Zimbabwe so I took advantage to register. I was also to register with the University of China and did my degree programme for four years. It was tough going; difficult.
That language is very difficult, but I told myself that I had made a decision to study that language. It was also a way to inspire my children that you cannot just wish to do something: you must actually put it into action.
You do it and show them the way.
I hear many people lamenting, “No. . .I didn’t have money to go to school.”
However, in Zimbabwe, we are given opportunities to study and I am one of those people who took up that opportunity and went on to enhance my education.
I did my degree and went on to register with the University of Zimbabwe for a Masters degree.
I was supposed to have graduated with a Masters, but was given two options – either to graduate or have that Master’s Degree upgraded to Doctorate level, which I did and then continued with my research until I graduated last year.
And business-wise; I work very hard. I have always been business-minded.
I was telling some people that I started earlier on.
When I was very young in primary school, I used to keep chickens – the road-runners, the free range chickens. I used to rear them at home and sell them.
Mine were very prolific. I don’t eat chicken so they did very well. We also used to do other things in terms of growing vegetables. Life was tough in the rural areas, but we managed to make ends meet.
Our father looked after us very well so I have always been a person with business acumen. Even when a started working in the President’s Office, I used to do other things on the side; selling wares at the market.
I can crochet, I can knit, I design; I like designing.
I am not a person who likes just sitting. I don’t just sit. I do lots of work; I work hard. I am always doing something.
It’s either I am reading, sewing or cleaning. I never sit down in the house.
The gruelling itinerary
You know what? Make up your mind: What is it that I want to do here on earth and what am I here for on earth?
When some people return from work, they throw their shoes, sit and do nothing. However, as soon as I arrive home from work, I work.
It’s all about planning properly. What is it that I want to do today after work and at work? What is it that I want to accomplish?
I go to work, I do my work, I come back here and then I say, “All right, I have a dress to make. I have a room to clean up.”
One does not have to leave it up to the workers to look after your property.
Some people believe you should depend on your workers absolutely; I don’t think it’s right. I have realised you have to guide them on what to do on a daily basis.
I think it’s a question of just being able to plan properly; how you want to go about your daily chores.
Response to naysayers
I try to keep a low profile as much as I can. I don’t talk much; I am more of an action person.
I can’t wake up just to commit sins everyday. Almost everyday you read something negative about Grace Mugabe. Those that read will start questioning: What type of a person is she?
She is a First Lady for that matter; she is a wife, a mother. Is she always committing sins everytime she gets up?
I think (the private media) operate on the premise “that fling enough mud and some will stick; that if you continuously attack your opponent, some of the accusations will be believed”.
I think that’s what they operate on.
They have done that for as long as I have been First Lady, but I have not really wanted to lose focus because of what they write or say about me. I think that’s the whole idea; to make me lose focus. But their repertoire will never deter me. I will never lose focus because I know exactly what it is that I want to achieve in life and that’s what I will spend my time on.
They can write whatever they write, the falsehoods they peddle about me, but that will never get in my way in any way. I just want them to know that they are wasting their time and I actually laugh at them and say that, you know, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.
I feel they haven’t got much to do, hence spending time just thinking about vilifying Mugabe’s wife.
Vilifying her children and the husband – I don’t think we are people who are always thinking about doing bad things.
After all, my husband has done a lot for this nation.
One sad thing is that people in other countries get to appreciate what our President does better than or more than the people in Zimbabwe.
I don’t really know what it is that they want to achieve.
It really feels sad that you find citizens of this country always writing negative things about their own country and at the same time they want to blame one person for whatever is happening in Zimbabwe; for the suffering the people are going through.
They talk about balanced reportage. Is that balanced reportage?
They never talk about the things I do.
All they say is that she has taken land from people in Mazowe. And how many people really have been displaced?
They lie, “600 people”, but there were no 600 people in Mazowe, at that place.
There were few people who had put up structures that really were not solid structures. It’s not just in Mazowe where people have been moved from a place because that place wants to be developed.
It has happened elsewhere in the world.
But instead of saying Amai has created jobs for people; Amai in her own small way is trying to develop Zimbabwe…
I am doing as much as I can, as an individual, to also build this nation; to contribute to the development of Zimbabwe in my own small way.
If it’s balanced (reportage), they should also talk of the good things that I am doing.
I don’t claim to be a paragon, I am a human being. I make mistakes, I err sometimes.
I am just like any other human being on Earth. I accept that I am human; I err; but I also do good things.
They should also be able to report about the good things that I do. Anyway, I can’t force them because they are biased in their reportage and I cannot change that – unfortunately.
Entry into politics
To tell you the truth, I never envisaged that one day I would enter politics. This question had always been asked again and again: Are you going to join politics one of these days?
It’s not something, really, I had planned to do in my life.
As I said, I am business-minded so I thought I would just continue to focus/concentrate on my business and the charity work that I do, that I enjoy doing, that I am passionate about.
However, I found people last year approaching me to become the leader of women in our party.
It was overwhelming in terms of the numbers who came to approach me to accept the position.
At first, I thought they were just trying. I didn’t know they were really that serious, so I had to take a long time to decide on whether I really wanted to take up the position.
I had to consult my family, my husband and other people as well.
But the approach was overwhelming. People came to me en masse such that I felt that if I said no, I would really be letting down the people of Zimbabwe.
So, I decided that because of the numbers of people who came to say Amai, we would want to work with you, especially women; if I said no, it really wouldn’t go down well with them or it would send wrong messages that politics is not something that is good.
So I just said, “All right, we can work together; I will work with the women.”
That’s the more reason why I said yes because I like working with women. It’s really a continuation of my charity work. I would want to see more women here in Zimbabwe in positions of authority.
I am not really happy, you know, with the way things are at the moment. You can see, for example, there are not as many women in Parliament as I would have wanted to see.
And Cabinet as well. Only a few – probably three ministers – it’s a really small number.
I would have wanted to see more and even in other sectors of the society. We would want to see more and more women, but that can only be achieved if we, as women, make a concerted effort to make our voices heard; that the President himself has made sure more and more women have access to education, which has happened.
He had this very successful programme, the Presidential Scholarship, and he also ensured a lot of girls benefitted from the programme. I am very happy because quite a number of girls were able to go to university in South Africa and here in Zimbabwe.
But you cannot just focus on educating people; you also want to see those people taking positions in society and that is the reason why we have this wing, especially in our party, Zanu-PF, to ensure the needs of women are talked about all the time.
Otherwise, if the issues are not raised, there will be no awareness that women should also be upgraded in terms of the positions they are going to hold in society, in companies; on boards.
There are so many boards here. I am happy that at least there is now an understanding and recognition that when boards are being put together, women must also be part of them.
I would want to see more and more women.
We still have a lot of work to do.
So far so good, but we have to work to ensure there is that recognition on the part of women. So, there is a lot of work; that’s the only reason why I said I would accept that position to work for the women, to work with them and ensure their standards of living are improved.
Running for the Presidency
I have said I am not interested in politics. I am just there for the women’s issues; I am just one of the voices.
I have never – in any way, in any place, at any time – said I would want to be the President of this country.
Yes, questions have been asked before and I have answered that, “I am also a Zimbabwean and who has a right more than Grace Mugabe?”
But I have never ever said I would want to be the President. Of course, there are people who may be talking about it out there, but I have never sent anyone to talk about it.
As I mentioned, I am a quiet person. I don’t talk that much and I don’t talk nonsense. Even if I meet people, I am not an excitable person who just talks about politics.
Of course, there are people who come to me and others make appointments to see me; others, still, have sent people to ask if I am interested.
I have said no.
I sometimes tell them: “You have been sent to ask me the question whether I want to become or run for the Presidency in future, or when I intend to do that.”
And I have told them in no uncertain terms that, “In future, don’t come and ask me that question. Tell whoever has sent you that they must keep it to themselves.”
I don’t have the ambition to run for the Presidency.
Most of the times I keep to myself and work hard. That’s what I am precisely doing to date.
We hear a lot of things being said about us, allegations being made, that she has Presidential ambitions.
When these people who actually think they are the ones to take over after Mugabe imagine that Mugabe’s wife has those ambitions, they actually start mudslinging.
I know some detractors are writing about it; that Mugabe is grooming his wife to become the President after he retires, and it will never stop because there are people who think they are the ones to take over out there.
And they think that if Mugabe is really grooming his wife, we must ensure we pull her down and this is what has been happening.
Hence, all these stories that are being written in the newspapers; that she can’t do it and she can do it – whatever they write.
It’s all about those people who fear they may wake up one morning with Mugabe’s wife as the President.
But let me tell you something.
There has been speculation out there that Mugabe’s wife is going to be a (Cabinet) minister. Yes, I have been approached. Some people approached me, saying they wanted to go to the President and tell him that you (the First Lady) can be appointed minister.
But I have declined.
I have said no because I have so much already on my plate. I don’t want to take up that position. I personally feel I have a lot of work to do as First Lady.
I would rather that position be given to someone else. This is me. If I had really wanted, if I had been so ambitious as they say, I would have said yes, I want to be.
There was nothing to stop me anyway, but I said no because I do not want to.
I am the First Lady and I have businesses to run, and also have charity work. I would want to give time to all these things I have mentioned.
Zanu-PF shake-up
When we used to hear a lot of things that were taking place in terms of the former Vice-President (Dr Joice Mujuru), we behaved like adults. We did not want to say because she is doing this, we will also go public and talk about these things as we did not think that was the best way to solve problems in the party.
The one thing I did not like was that as I was going on the tour last year – the Meet the People Tour – they put together a group of boys, gave them money, bought them beer, got them drunk and sent them to boo me when I was addressing; making noise, beating drums, shouting and I endured that.
In almost all the provinces, it was like that at every rally.
It was happening, but I later said enough was enough. You cannot continue to do this to me. I have been very quiet for a very long time.
Things have been said, written and gossipped about me. I said enough was enough; if you actually want now to translate it into public fight, let’s go for it.
I also have a mouth to talk, I have a brain to think. So, I said this should stop forthwith (laughs). That’s why people talk about “Stop it!” (laughs) because they were dividing the party.
I don’t know how I am dividing the party because there is nothing sinister I have done to divide the party.
All I wanted actually was to see the people in Zanu-PF working together, work for one goal and not to divide the people.
And this is what I was talking about.
She (Dr Mujuru) had a faction, which was working against the President and we had only one President elected and only one centre of power. She was now making her own clique with people who were following her and to them, it was a foregone conclusion that she was going to be the President of this country and where they got that from, we didn’t understand.
This should have come from the party and she could have waited.
I loved her so much, I tell you. She disappointed me.
I liked her so much. She knew that I liked her, but she was very elusive in her ways. She didn’t even want to communicate with me.
I think it had more to do with the people who advised her. She chose the wrong people to advise her. Unfortunately, she caused all this that happened.
She could have easily listened to advice. I even sent people to talk to her: “You are over trusting other people.”
Some of the people she talked to are the same ones who would go about revealing what she would have said.
I have learned from that experience.
I have been First Lady for 20 years. And I have been saying to someone, “Look, I have been First Lady for 20 years and it has not gone to my head. I still maintain my cool. I know how it feels to be in this position. I see a lot of excitable characters out there and I look at them and say please go to those who have the experience and ask how to behave when you are in certain positions.”
She did not want to take advice from me. I sent people to talk to her, but she thought I was foolish, or I wanted to stop her ambitions.
However, I was very genuine about the things I did for her.
Other women and I campaigned for her to be in that position; she must not forget. The President supported her fully to be in that position, but she started being too ambitious.
She could have waited for her time.
I’m telling you; she had an opportunity, a very good opportunity if she had kept her cool and listened to the advice of others. She would be somewhere today.
But she decided to do things the wrong way and she has herself to blame – unfortunately.
Do I feel vindicated?
It’s not really about that. You just want to show the people that this is not the right way. There are always better ways to do things – the right way.
And whether they have learnt a lesson or not, it’s up to them because they are adults. I would have thought they have learnt something, but in a hard way.
The people knew, so when I started speaking out in public, everyone said yes, she used to do this. I don’t think that’s the way we should behave as adults.
There are better ways to do things in life.
I would not want to speak on behalf of the President, but, obviously, as somebody who is certainly an advocate of women advancement, I’m sure he felt really let down.
He certainly also liked the Vice-President because she was like a daughter to him; somebody he brought up. He felt let down as a father as well as a President.
But it’s always like that in society. You find people who really cannot behave themselves in a way that is expected.
Criminalising the First Lady
I know they are doing these things; these young boys. In this case, he (Zanu-PF Harare Youth League Chair Godfrey Gomwe) (allegedly) had receipts printed.
What I think is that he is not doing it alone.
There are forces behind this, bigwigs (who want) to actually say the First Lady after all is not a clean person. This is what she does, but I don’t work with these boys.
I don’t see them at all.
Yes, we meet sometimes, but at party meetings or events, never privately.
Obviously, there are people who are bent on destroying my image, working with these boys. I know, I am aware. I don’t live in a vacuum by the way.
I live with people. They tell us all the machinations. We keep quiet as if we know nothing; the same way we have behaved in the past.
They should know that we know what is happening on the ground.
On President’s continental duties
We are so much used to it. He (President Mugabe) always works hard. He is the Head of State and Government; he is expected to be out there working hard and as a family, we expect him to be working like that.
So, the children are very much aware of that.
Their father is sort of scarce in their lives and they have grown up knowing he is always busy, always travelling and always away.
But when he finds time, he would be with his children, talk to them and ensure they would have done their homework, especially our last born, Bellarmine, who is now doing his A-Levels.
He is writing this year, so he will ensure he has time to talk to him.
Sometimes when I am not around, they share the bed, they talk.
Bellarmine is unlike all my other children; he does more talking and he enjoys asking questions.
“How can I achieve this? How can I do that?”
But he is always busy and they should understand that although he is their biological father, he has other children to take care of as well. These are the Zimbabwean children.
People in Zimbabwe also need him. That’s why we chose him; to have him lead us and work for us.
“So, they understand that our father has work to do for this country. Also, he is the Chairperson of the African Union and Sadc, which means more work for him.”
We understand what it means and we need to support him as a country.
I turned 50 on Thursday and I feel very honoured that God gave me all these years to survive. I know there are quite a number of people that I went to school with who have already passed on.I would have really wanted to see many more people live to their full potential. I should really celebrate getting to 50 years and being intact; being able to see and walk because anything could have happened to me before I got to this age.
Of course, I have been sick along the way, but I want to thank God for having sustained me to this day.
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| First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe chats with The Sunday Mail during the interview at the First Family’s residence in Borrowdale on Friday – Picture: Believe Nyakudjara |
It has also given me many opportunities to do a lot of things that I probably would not have been able to do if I wasn’t in this position.
I have said before that I have been given this opportunity and I grabbed it; ran with it and tried to use it also to benefit the under-privileged in terms of the work I do – charity work.
But also, I have not let that position get to my head. I can quote Shakespeare: “Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.”
I feel greatness has been thrust upon me. I wasn’t born the First Lady, but I said to myself, “Here is an opportunity. I have been given this opportunity to do something. I am in a privileged position and I must do something for this nation.”
I am a person who loves working; I am a workaholic and keep to myself most of the time, working. So, I decided that I would not want to sit on my laurels, relaxing, but I want also to do what others are doing.
I see people working, achieving a lot in life and I said, “I did not have the opportunity even to do a degree because my father died when I was 19.”
I said I would continue reading.
I did A-Level on my own then went on to register for a degree at the University of London, which did not succeed. I was studying for an English degree.
Later, I decided to study with the University of China. They had come to establish a college at the University of Zimbabwe so I took advantage to register. I was also to register with the University of China and did my degree programme for four years. It was tough going; difficult.
That language is very difficult, but I told myself that I had made a decision to study that language. It was also a way to inspire my children that you cannot just wish to do something: you must actually put it into action.
You do it and show them the way.
I hear many people lamenting, “No. . .I didn’t have money to go to school.”
However, in Zimbabwe, we are given opportunities to study and I am one of those people who took up that opportunity and went on to enhance my education.
I did my degree and went on to register with the University of Zimbabwe for a Masters degree.
I was supposed to have graduated with a Masters, but was given two options – either to graduate or have that Master’s Degree upgraded to Doctorate level, which I did and then continued with my research until I graduated last year.
And business-wise; I work very hard. I have always been business-minded.
I was telling some people that I started earlier on.
When I was very young in primary school, I used to keep chickens – the road-runners, the free range chickens. I used to rear them at home and sell them.
Mine were very prolific. I don’t eat chicken so they did very well. We also used to do other things in terms of growing vegetables. Life was tough in the rural areas, but we managed to make ends meet.
Our father looked after us very well so I have always been a person with business acumen. Even when a started working in the President’s Office, I used to do other things on the side; selling wares at the market.
I can crochet, I can knit, I design; I like designing.
I am not a person who likes just sitting. I don’t just sit. I do lots of work; I work hard. I am always doing something.
It’s either I am reading, sewing or cleaning. I never sit down in the house.
The gruelling itinerary
You know what? Make up your mind: What is it that I want to do here on earth and what am I here for on earth?
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| First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe chats with The Sunday Mail during the interview at the First Family’s residence in Borrowdale on Friday – Picture: Believe Nyakudjara |
It’s all about planning properly. What is it that I want to do today after work and at work? What is it that I want to accomplish?
I go to work, I do my work, I come back here and then I say, “All right, I have a dress to make. I have a room to clean up.”
One does not have to leave it up to the workers to look after your property.
Some people believe you should depend on your workers absolutely; I don’t think it’s right. I have realised you have to guide them on what to do on a daily basis.
I think it’s a question of just being able to plan properly; how you want to go about your daily chores.
Response to naysayers
I try to keep a low profile as much as I can. I don’t talk much; I am more of an action person.
I can’t wake up just to commit sins everyday. Almost everyday you read something negative about Grace Mugabe. Those that read will start questioning: What type of a person is she?
She is a First Lady for that matter; she is a wife, a mother. Is she always committing sins everytime she gets up?
I think (the private media) operate on the premise “that fling enough mud and some will stick; that if you continuously attack your opponent, some of the accusations will be believed”.
I think that’s what they operate on.
They have done that for as long as I have been First Lady, but I have not really wanted to lose focus because of what they write or say about me. I think that’s the whole idea; to make me lose focus. But their repertoire will never deter me. I will never lose focus because I know exactly what it is that I want to achieve in life and that’s what I will spend my time on.
They can write whatever they write, the falsehoods they peddle about me, but that will never get in my way in any way. I just want them to know that they are wasting their time and I actually laugh at them and say that, you know, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.
I feel they haven’t got much to do, hence spending time just thinking about vilifying Mugabe’s wife.
Vilifying her children and the husband – I don’t think we are people who are always thinking about doing bad things.
After all, my husband has done a lot for this nation.
One sad thing is that people in other countries get to appreciate what our President does better than or more than the people in Zimbabwe.
I don’t really know what it is that they want to achieve.
It really feels sad that you find citizens of this country always writing negative things about their own country and at the same time they want to blame one person for whatever is happening in Zimbabwe; for the suffering the people are going through.
They talk about balanced reportage. Is that balanced reportage?
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| It’s something I should celebrate; also considering that I have just been told that the life expectancy in Zimbabwe is just 58, which is quite sad. |
All they say is that she has taken land from people in Mazowe. And how many people really have been displaced?
They lie, “600 people”, but there were no 600 people in Mazowe, at that place.
There were few people who had put up structures that really were not solid structures. It’s not just in Mazowe where people have been moved from a place because that place wants to be developed.
It has happened elsewhere in the world.
But instead of saying Amai has created jobs for people; Amai in her own small way is trying to develop Zimbabwe…
I am doing as much as I can, as an individual, to also build this nation; to contribute to the development of Zimbabwe in my own small way.
If it’s balanced (reportage), they should also talk of the good things that I am doing.
I don’t claim to be a paragon, I am a human being. I make mistakes, I err sometimes.
I am just like any other human being on Earth. I accept that I am human; I err; but I also do good things.
They should also be able to report about the good things that I do. Anyway, I can’t force them because they are biased in their reportage and I cannot change that – unfortunately.
Entry into politics
To tell you the truth, I never envisaged that one day I would enter politics. This question had always been asked again and again: Are you going to join politics one of these days?
It’s not something, really, I had planned to do in my life.
As I said, I am business-minded so I thought I would just continue to focus/concentrate on my business and the charity work that I do, that I enjoy doing, that I am passionate about.
However, I found people last year approaching me to become the leader of women in our party.
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| Dr Grace Mugabe |
At first, I thought they were just trying. I didn’t know they were really that serious, so I had to take a long time to decide on whether I really wanted to take up the position.
I had to consult my family, my husband and other people as well.
But the approach was overwhelming. People came to me en masse such that I felt that if I said no, I would really be letting down the people of Zimbabwe.
So, I decided that because of the numbers of people who came to say Amai, we would want to work with you, especially women; if I said no, it really wouldn’t go down well with them or it would send wrong messages that politics is not something that is good.
So I just said, “All right, we can work together; I will work with the women.”
That’s the more reason why I said yes because I like working with women. It’s really a continuation of my charity work. I would want to see more women here in Zimbabwe in positions of authority.
I am not really happy, you know, with the way things are at the moment. You can see, for example, there are not as many women in Parliament as I would have wanted to see.
And Cabinet as well. Only a few – probably three ministers – it’s a really small number.
I would have wanted to see more and even in other sectors of the society. We would want to see more and more women, but that can only be achieved if we, as women, make a concerted effort to make our voices heard; that the President himself has made sure more and more women have access to education, which has happened.
He had this very successful programme, the Presidential Scholarship, and he also ensured a lot of girls benefitted from the programme. I am very happy because quite a number of girls were able to go to university in South Africa and here in Zimbabwe.
But you cannot just focus on educating people; you also want to see those people taking positions in society and that is the reason why we have this wing, especially in our party, Zanu-PF, to ensure the needs of women are talked about all the time.
Otherwise, if the issues are not raised, there will be no awareness that women should also be upgraded in terms of the positions they are going to hold in society, in companies; on boards.
There are so many boards here. I am happy that at least there is now an understanding and recognition that when boards are being put together, women must also be part of them.
I would want to see more and more women.
We still have a lot of work to do.
So far so good, but we have to work to ensure there is that recognition on the part of women. So, there is a lot of work; that’s the only reason why I said I would accept that position to work for the women, to work with them and ensure their standards of living are improved.
Running for the Presidency
I have said I am not interested in politics. I am just there for the women’s issues; I am just one of the voices.
I have never – in any way, in any place, at any time – said I would want to be the President of this country.
Yes, questions have been asked before and I have answered that, “I am also a Zimbabwean and who has a right more than Grace Mugabe?”
But I have never ever said I would want to be the President. Of course, there are people who may be talking about it out there, but I have never sent anyone to talk about it.
As I mentioned, I am a quiet person. I don’t talk that much and I don’t talk nonsense. Even if I meet people, I am not an excitable person who just talks about politics.
Of course, there are people who come to me and others make appointments to see me; others, still, have sent people to ask if I am interested.
I have said no.
I sometimes tell them: “You have been sent to ask me the question whether I want to become or run for the Presidency in future, or when I intend to do that.”
And I have told them in no uncertain terms that, “In future, don’t come and ask me that question. Tell whoever has sent you that they must keep it to themselves.”
I don’t have the ambition to run for the Presidency.
Most of the times I keep to myself and work hard. That’s what I am precisely doing to date.
We hear a lot of things being said about us, allegations being made, that she has Presidential ambitions.
When these people who actually think they are the ones to take over after Mugabe imagine that Mugabe’s wife has those ambitions, they actually start mudslinging.
I know some detractors are writing about it; that Mugabe is grooming his wife to become the President after he retires, and it will never stop because there are people who think they are the ones to take over out there.
And they think that if Mugabe is really grooming his wife, we must ensure we pull her down and this is what has been happening.
Hence, all these stories that are being written in the newspapers; that she can’t do it and she can do it – whatever they write.
It’s all about those people who fear they may wake up one morning with Mugabe’s wife as the President.
But let me tell you something.
There has been speculation out there that Mugabe’s wife is going to be a (Cabinet) minister. Yes, I have been approached. Some people approached me, saying they wanted to go to the President and tell him that you (the First Lady) can be appointed minister.
But I have declined.
I have said no because I have so much already on my plate. I don’t want to take up that position. I personally feel I have a lot of work to do as First Lady.
I would rather that position be given to someone else. This is me. If I had really wanted, if I had been so ambitious as they say, I would have said yes, I want to be.
There was nothing to stop me anyway, but I said no because I do not want to.
I am the First Lady and I have businesses to run, and also have charity work. I would want to give time to all these things I have mentioned.
Zanu-PF shake-up
When we used to hear a lot of things that were taking place in terms of the former Vice-President (Dr Joice Mujuru), we behaved like adults. We did not want to say because she is doing this, we will also go public and talk about these things as we did not think that was the best way to solve problems in the party.
The one thing I did not like was that as I was going on the tour last year – the Meet the People Tour – they put together a group of boys, gave them money, bought them beer, got them drunk and sent them to boo me when I was addressing; making noise, beating drums, shouting and I endured that.
In almost all the provinces, it was like that at every rally.
It was happening, but I later said enough was enough. You cannot continue to do this to me. I have been very quiet for a very long time.
Things have been said, written and gossipped about me. I said enough was enough; if you actually want now to translate it into public fight, let’s go for it.
I also have a mouth to talk, I have a brain to think. So, I said this should stop forthwith (laughs). That’s why people talk about “Stop it!” (laughs) because they were dividing the party.
I don’t know how I am dividing the party because there is nothing sinister I have done to divide the party.
All I wanted actually was to see the people in Zanu-PF working together, work for one goal and not to divide the people.
And this is what I was talking about.
She (Dr Mujuru) had a faction, which was working against the President and we had only one President elected and only one centre of power. She was now making her own clique with people who were following her and to them, it was a foregone conclusion that she was going to be the President of this country and where they got that from, we didn’t understand.
This should have come from the party and she could have waited.
I loved her so much, I tell you. She disappointed me.
I liked her so much. She knew that I liked her, but she was very elusive in her ways. She didn’t even want to communicate with me.
I think it had more to do with the people who advised her. She chose the wrong people to advise her. Unfortunately, she caused all this that happened.
She could have easily listened to advice. I even sent people to talk to her: “You are over trusting other people.”
Some of the people she talked to are the same ones who would go about revealing what she would have said.
I have learned from that experience.
I have been First Lady for 20 years. And I have been saying to someone, “Look, I have been First Lady for 20 years and it has not gone to my head. I still maintain my cool. I know how it feels to be in this position. I see a lot of excitable characters out there and I look at them and say please go to those who have the experience and ask how to behave when you are in certain positions.”
She did not want to take advice from me. I sent people to talk to her, but she thought I was foolish, or I wanted to stop her ambitions.
However, I was very genuine about the things I did for her.
Other women and I campaigned for her to be in that position; she must not forget. The President supported her fully to be in that position, but she started being too ambitious.
She could have waited for her time.
I’m telling you; she had an opportunity, a very good opportunity if she had kept her cool and listened to the advice of others. She would be somewhere today.
But she decided to do things the wrong way and she has herself to blame – unfortunately.
Do I feel vindicated?
It’s not really about that. You just want to show the people that this is not the right way. There are always better ways to do things – the right way.
And whether they have learnt a lesson or not, it’s up to them because they are adults. I would have thought they have learnt something, but in a hard way.
The people knew, so when I started speaking out in public, everyone said yes, she used to do this. I don’t think that’s the way we should behave as adults.
There are better ways to do things in life.
I would not want to speak on behalf of the President, but, obviously, as somebody who is certainly an advocate of women advancement, I’m sure he felt really let down.
He certainly also liked the Vice-President because she was like a daughter to him; somebody he brought up. He felt let down as a father as well as a President.
But it’s always like that in society. You find people who really cannot behave themselves in a way that is expected.
Criminalising the First Lady
I know they are doing these things; these young boys. In this case, he (Zanu-PF Harare Youth League Chair Godfrey Gomwe) (allegedly) had receipts printed.
What I think is that he is not doing it alone.
There are forces behind this, bigwigs (who want) to actually say the First Lady after all is not a clean person. This is what she does, but I don’t work with these boys.
I don’t see them at all.
Yes, we meet sometimes, but at party meetings or events, never privately.
Obviously, there are people who are bent on destroying my image, working with these boys. I know, I am aware. I don’t live in a vacuum by the way.
I live with people. They tell us all the machinations. We keep quiet as if we know nothing; the same way we have behaved in the past.
They should know that we know what is happening on the ground.
On President’s continental duties
We are so much used to it. He (President Mugabe) always works hard. He is the Head of State and Government; he is expected to be out there working hard and as a family, we expect him to be working like that.
So, the children are very much aware of that.
Their father is sort of scarce in their lives and they have grown up knowing he is always busy, always travelling and always away.
But when he finds time, he would be with his children, talk to them and ensure they would have done their homework, especially our last born, Bellarmine, who is now doing his A-Levels.
He is writing this year, so he will ensure he has time to talk to him.
Sometimes when I am not around, they share the bed, they talk.
Bellarmine is unlike all my other children; he does more talking and he enjoys asking questions.
“How can I achieve this? How can I do that?”
But he is always busy and they should understand that although he is their biological father, he has other children to take care of as well. These are the Zimbabwean children.
People in Zimbabwe also need him. That’s why we chose him; to have him lead us and work for us.
“So, they understand that our father has work to do for this country. Also, he is the Chairperson of the African Union and Sadc, which means more work for him.”
We understand what it means and we need to support him as a country.
