Collective court action against Grace Mugabe on the cards

Opposition parties are reportedly mulling a collective court action against First Lady Grace Mugabe, whom they accuse of abusing a $98m agricultural equipment loan facility secured from Brazil under the Zimbabwe-Brazil More Food for Africa Programme.

Zimbabwean media reports alleged that Grace was using the publicly underwritten loan for her own political benefit, as the bid to succeed President Robert Mugabe intensified within the ruling Zanu-PF party.

Grace, according to Zimbabwe Independent, has in the past weeks donated agricultural equipment sourced under the Brazil loan facility as she embarked on a controversial campaign trail which sources said was meant to test the "succession waters" ahead of the 2018 general election.

"Grace is donating state equipment to her political party members at rallies, which is wrong and even unlawful," a senior government official was quoted as saying.

Opposition parties described as "criminal" the decision by Grace to use a facility meant to benefit all Zimbabweans for partisan political purposes.

The parties said they were actively exploring the possibility of a collective court action to stop the First Lady's "illegal and very criminal" vote buying campaign using a state debt which ordinary Zimbabweans would have to repay, the report said.