'Mnangagwa's wife has no apology on meeting doctors'

First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa has no apologies to make to anyone for meeting the leadership of striking junior doctors last week and the few people attacking her personality belong to a tribe of heartless political activists who do not care about people's lives, Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba said yesterday.

Mr Charamba said the First Lady, who is the ambassador for maternal and child health, has been involved in humanitarian work for a long time and no amount of name-calling will change her unique character.

The First Lady last Friday met the leadership of junior doctors who were on strike and urged them to return to work. The move saw her receiving attacks from misguided opposition forces who accused her of politicking.

"The First Lady from the word go committed herself to doing humanitarian work, which is why she let go of her constituency in order to apply herself on a full time basis to humanitarian work," Mr Charamba said.

"Well, before the latest industrial action in the health sector, the First Lady was already engaged and involved in humanitarian work as it relates to health delivery. On many occasions, Zimbabweans saw her at work at different health facilities across the country in the service of the sick and those recuperating."

He added: "It is in this character that when the striking junior doctors approached her for her involvement in the ongoing industrial action, she readily obliged — obliged as a mother and as part of the team of humanitarian care givers who would be concerned at the breakdown of relations in the health sector."

Mr Charamba said it would have been surprising had the First Lady refused to meet the doctors.

"So what would have been unusual and untoward would have been for her to remain indifferent to this very sad development in the health sector which negatively impinges on her humanitarian work," he said.

"I am confident that both the junior doctors who approached her in the first place and, more importantly, the thousands of the sick and distressed in our hospitals are only too happy to have her involved. "The few who have been bad-mouthing her belong to a tribe of heartless political activists who think that there is something to be gained politically from the continued industrial action even at the expense of lives."

He said it was revealing that the charge being levelled against the First Lady was that of engaging in politics. "By reverse logic, this charge is an admission that indeed there is a political hand at play in the ongoing industrial action and who to better know that than those aiding and abetting the few ringleaders of the junior doctors?"

Mr Charamba said. "I want to make it clear that the First Lady has no apologies to make to anyone in helping find a solution to the strike and what is more, wherever possible, in saving one life more that could have been lost. It is preposterous for those hot-lipped persons to invent a personality mould for the First Lady.

"She is a unique individual with a unique compassion for the weak and suffering and no amount of name-calling or aspersions will change that."