Grace Mugabe attacks 'successionists'

First Lady Grace Mugabe has said ambitious Zanu-PF cadres angling to take over from President Robert Mugabe must eat "humble pie" and be content with their positions.

Addressing Zanu-PF supporters who gathered for the party's Harare Province Inter-District Conference that was held at the City Sports Centre yesterday, the powerful Grace also apologised for housing demolitions that had been undertaken by her husband's government.

"Munhu kana wapihwa basa ingoita uri ipapo pauri. Ndopakaonekwa pakakodzera kuti uve ipapo. Pausina kunzi nevanhu garapo siyana nazvo. Simba rinobva kuvanhu (When people are appointed to certain positions, they should be content with those positions. Don't angle for what people have not elected you for as power comes from the people).

"Vana vari kutukirira vachitaura zvavanoda vasinganzi stop it. Zvinoreva chii? (Youths are insulting their leaders but are not being reprimanded. What does that mean?)," she queried.

Grace, who is linked to a Zanu-PF faction known by the moniker Generation 40 (G40), which is strongly opposed to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa's mooted presidential ambitions, also said that those who are in power must act with the requisite decorum and avoid being pompous.

"Vamwe kungopihwa chete kuti position iyi avekutomera nyanga. Zvino nyanga idzodzo dzinodimburwa unonyarirepi. Unonyarirepi kana nyanga dzodimburwa? Shuwa wongoti two minutes wapihwa chinzvimbo, two minutes wabviswa? (Some become big-headed the moment they are given senior positions. Be careful that you will lose those positions)," she warned.

During her address, Grace also said Zanu-PF was to blame for the suffering that was endured by people whose houses were indiscriminately demolished along the Airport Road in Harare earlier this year, in a move that left thousands of families stranded and homeless.

She further implored Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere to lead the proper planning of settlements, so that the controversial demolitions would not be repeated - whereby officials would leave people to build their homes and only move to demolish them after the completion of the construction of the houses.

"Let's take the blame. Tiri kuvaka here musangano kana kuti tiri kuputsa musangano? (Are we building the party or we are destroying it by allowing this practice?).

"Hatidi kurwadzisana kusvika pakaoma pakadaro. Iwewe  munhu uri kukwara kwara uri kutengesa muriwo kuti uvake imba yako, mangwana yopunzwa, that's unfair (We do not want to punish each other like that. People are struggling to raise money to build those houses that end up being demolished)," she added.

The First Lady also renewed her attacks on former vice president and now Zimbabwe People First interim leader, Joice Mujuru.

She said Mujuru must shut up, accusing Mugabe's former deputy, of 10 years, of being a hypocrite and derisively describing those who support her as fools.