'Grace Mugabe has no Presidential ambitions,' says Sandi Moyo

FIRST Lady Amai Grace Mugabe has no ambition to succeed President Mugabe as Zimbabwe's next leader but is only standing in defence of her husband against people who want to force the President to step down before the end of his term of office, a senior Zanu-PF Women's League official has said.

Zanu-PF Deputy Secretary for Women's Affairs Eunice Sandi Moyo said there are people who were targeting the First Lady and vilifying her for speaking on behalf of all Zimbabweans who fully supported President Mugabe's visionary leadership.

Speaking at Museva Village in Chivi South where she was representing First Lady Amai Mugabe at the handover of a new church built by Chivi Rural District Council chairman Councillor Killer Zivhu for the Zion Apostolic Faith Mission Church (ZAFMC) over the weekend, Sandi Moyo said Amai Mugabe does not harbour presidential ambitions.

"There are some people who are targeting the President's wife because they are so scared of the power that she is trying to protect. The First Lady is only supporting her husband but there are some people who want to mislead Zimbabweans into believing otherwise,'' she said.

"She never said she wants to rule this country; let her speak for everyone and she deserves the support of everyone. She stands up because she is the image of the Mugabe home.''

Sandi Moyo said those wishing to succeed President Mugabe were supposed to be patient and not try to force the veteran Zanu-PF leader out before his time is up.

She said President Mugabe was anointed by God to rule Zimbabwe and would only step down when God wants him to do so.

"Don't be misled by people who want to force President Mugabe to step down. He continues to rule this country because God wants him to continue doing so, you are going to have another leader at some point but for now President Mugabe is in charge,'' said Sandi Moyo.

"There are people who have been fooled to follow other leaders; I say to them come back to the fold, President Mugabe is still with us and we pray that he will be there until 2018.''

Sandi Moyo said Zimbabwe was in the midst of a trying time because of some power- hungry people who wanted to take over the country's leadership when President Mugabe was still there.

She equated the current situation to the biblical time when Moses was leading the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt only for some to rebel and start carving their own small gods when Moses had gone up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments from God.

The Zanu-PF Deputy Women's Affairs secretary said President Mugabe was the only leader with the capacity to maintain peace in the country.

"Just look at the history of our country, President Mugabe is the only founding nationalist leader of this country who is still with us today because God is looking after him as he is the only leader who can maintain peace in this country,'' she said.

"It is God's wish that President Mugabe is still the leader of this country, 36 years after Independence, President Mugabe is a God-given leader.''

She called on the church to help the country with prayers so that people uphold good moral values that enable the country to achieve socio-economic development in a harmonious and peaceful environment.

Sandi Moyo hailed Clr Zivhu for assisting many communities around the country saying the sky was the limit for the Chivi RDC chair, whom she described as a pragmatic and development-oriented person.

Addressing the same gathering, ZAFMC leader Bishop Ezra Shoko paid tribute to the Zanu-PF Government led by President Mugabe for supporting indigenous churches.

He also paid tribute to Clr Zivhu for his philanthropy saying it was an indication that Zanu-PF leaders had the people at heart.

Clr Zivhu said he was a messenger of President Mugabe and the First Lady, and was sent to effect development especially in remote rural communities.

"I am only an emissary of President Mugabe and the First Lady Amai Mugabe who sent me to make sure that we help each other to meet our Zim-Asset goals. President Mugabe and the First Lady love people, that is why we do not hesitate when they send us to do tasks that improve the welfare of the ordinary people. We are already looking ahead to the 2018 elections where we want to give our President another emphatic mandate to rule this country,'' said Clr Zivhu.

Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial secretary for the commissariat Jappy Jaboon said Masvingo province was fully united behind President Mugabe and Amai Mugabe, saying those opposed to them were lost deep in the wilderness.

Jaboon donated 50 bags of cement to ZAFMC for repairing the floor in the conference area while Harare South Member of Parliament Shadreck Mashayamombe offered to drill a borehole to ease water challenges during the church's gatherings.