'I've no tiff with Mnangagwa and Mphoko,' says Grace Mugabe

The First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe, who is also the Zanu-PF Women's League secretary, has slammed some misguided elements in the revolutionary party whom she accused of attempting to set her up against the country's two Vice Presidents -  Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko - in furtherance of their sinister agendas.

Addressing the inaugural Zanu-PF Women's League National Assembly meeting in Harare yesterday, Amai Mugabe said such people would never succeed.

She said the country's leadership was aware of such nefarious ploys and machinations.

The First Lady said she respected the two VPs who were appointed by President Mugabe to assist him in executing his duties.

"Let me repeat what I said yesterday that Vice Presidents Mnangagwa and Mphoko are being singled out for undue criticism. Everyone doing this must stop it! You will never succeed in your attempts to set me up against these two men."

She dismissed as false, claims in some quarters that the two Vice Presidents wished the President dead so that they take over.

Cdes Mnangagwa and Mphoko, the First Lady said, were appointed to assist the President and people should let them do their job.

"The other time I visited Kadoma with the two Vice Presidents and the President was impressed seeing them working together in harmony."

Contrary to lies being peddled by detractors, the First Lady said there was peace and unity in the party.

She said differences were there last year, but President Mugabe in his capacity as the First Secretary of Zanu-PF, dealt with the scourge decisively.

Amai Mugabe said the President showed the "red card" to some divisive elements that were causing disharmony.

Amai Mugabe said the Women's League was working well with the Youth League and her predecessor Oppah Muchinguri.

She warned land barons who were parcelling out state land to unsuspecting home-seekers to stop henceforth.

Some land barons applied for farming land near towns, but ended up subdividing it and allocating residential stands.

"Equally disturbing are the corrupt dealings regarding the very heritage and natural resource that was at the centre of our bitter struggle for independence — the land," she said.

"Self-proclaimed land barons are selling national land at exorbitantly and prohibitively high prices thereby depriving the needy access to land. The majority of the causalities are women. Surely this must stop forthwith."

Amai Mugabe said the Women's League was embarking on resuscitation of various national projects that benefited women and youths.

She said at Melfort Farm in Goromonzi efforts were underway to re-register Nehanda Primary School and in Binga efforts were being committed to resuscitate the Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme.

Amai Mugabe said she wanted the Bulawayo Kraal project to be run professionally and benefit the people of Binga where MDC-T and some non-governmental organisations were dominating.

"We look forward to an arrangement where the project will be run professionally and commercially befitting any business enterprise," she said.

"This will call for a drastic mindset change and a paradigm shift for this to happen.

"This also applies to all other projects. In addition to the irrigation project, the (Women's) league has gone further by issuing 10 permits to groups of women and youths in Binga.

"These empowerment initiatives mark our initial inroads into an NGO/MDC dominated territory."

Amai Mugabe appealed to President Mugabe to increase the number of women in key decision making positions.

She said the Women's League was committed to work for the party to ensure a resounding victory in 2018.