'Grace's critics are jealous,' says Mugabe

President Robert yesterday defended his wife, First Lady Grace Mugabe, saying she did not lead a faction and her critics were jealous because of her work and had nothing to offer.

Addressing the Zanu-PF central committee, Mugabe said neither Grace nor Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa led factions, saying this was fictitious and imaginary.

"I want to pay tribute to the Women's League … they have criss-crossed the country drumming up support.

"They have shown that there is no time to rest in between elections, hence they are a target by the opposition papers, who have nothing to offer.

"They create fictitious and imaginary factions trying to divide us. They say it is the First Lady versus Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa."

Grace has held a number of rallies across the country, where she has attacked faction leaders without mentioning them by name, but observers are certain she has turned her swords on Mnangagwa.

Party members claim Grace is propping up G40, a faction of Young Turks, reportedly battling for control of the party.

But Mugabe said his wife had been the subject of a relentless media attack for "doing a good job which terrified the opposition".

The Zanu-PF leader denied the existence of factionalism in his party, claiming divisions were a creation of the private media, which he described as opposition media.

Without a hint of irony, as Mugabe claimed there was no infighting in the party, youth leaders were at each other's throats at the Zanu-PF headquarters and earned themselves a strong reprimand from the veteran leader.