'Media has no business enquiring about Grace Mugabe'

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe's spokesperson George Charamba has said the media have no business enquiring about the First Lady, Grace Mugabe's reported illness or whereabouts.

The president's spokesperson insisted the Zanu PF women's league boss was not a state actor and should be granted her privacy.

Grace Mugabe failed to return with her elderly husband two weeks ago when President Mugabe ended his six weeks long annual leave which took him and his family to the Far East.

Mugabe went on to tell his followers on his arrival the First Lady was still recuperating from an operation she undertook for an appendix complaint.

Sources close to the first family's affairs have revealed her continued absence has not only delayed party business such as the disciplinary hearing of ousted Zanu PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa but has also caused a delay to President Mugabe's 91st birthday bash.

Asked over the First Lady's welfare and continued absence, Charamba said the enquiry was tantamount to invading the first family's privacy.

"Why do you want to know about the First Lady when the President or the husband is not asking me about the First Lady?" Charamba said when called by NewZimbabwe.com.

He was adamant Grace Mugabe was not a constitutional officer.

"She is not a civil servant, she is not a constitutional officer. Why do you pry into the life of a private citizen in the name of news?

"Don't worry about her; there is one person you want to worry about, your first President. That's the guy who makes laws for you, not the First Lady."

Charamba added: "The first lady's title is not a status that would make her accountable to you and me; where have you seen enshrined in the Constitution that there shall be a First Lady whose availability shall be known to the media.

"She has absolutely no reason to account for her presence or absence zvamchose; hapatomborina at law or in actual practise.

"The only time she only comes closest to that is when she is acting as women's league secretary in which case you will not be talking to me because, l don't speak for Zanu PF."

However, despite Charamba's spirited denials about Grace's political influence into the national affairs, she is widely viewed as very influential to the president's decision making processes.

She was at one time accused by ousted war veterans chief Jabulani Sibanda as attempting a "bedroom coup" after she staged a campaign to dislodge then Vice President Joice Mujuru, who, due to her seniority in Zanu PF, so it seemed, was poised to succeed the aging leader.

To demonstrate her overarching influence, Grace also toured all the country's provinces dragging with her, a group of cabinet ministers who ate and slept in hotels using state resources.

Her consistent message was for Mujuru to step down or risk "baby dumping" by "baba", the latter areference to her husband.

And it was not long before Mujuru and her allies were all given the boot by President Mugabe.

The First Lady also spoke glowingly about top Mugabe aide and faction leader Emmerson Mnangagwa who was then installed as First Vice President, replacing the disgraced Mujuru.

During her tours, the "private citizen" - to quote Charamba - was given a lot of airtime during prime time viewing by the public broadcaster, ZBC-TV.

Her power was also evident at during Zanu PF's December congress when she told Mugabe to shut it as the president rumbled on for too long.

Still, Charamba described as "just an interpretation" suggestions that Grace influenced the firing of Mujuru by her husband saying she was not "an appointing authority".

Pressed further to reveal Grace's condition, Charamba replied: "The First Lady is well! The First lady is well! The First lady is well!", adding that she was coming back home "some time".