Grace Mugabe blasts Mnangagwa

FIRST Lady Dr Grace Mugabe yesterday shot down Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa's claims that he was poisoned, saying he was merely seeking sympathy. She said VP Mnangagwa was "nothing" but an employee of President Mugabe.

Dr Mugabe made the remarks in Harare yesterday while launching youth empowerment and employment creation initiatives.

"Depending on the audience you will be addressing, you go to the benefactor you say, I am bringing my doctor telling the truth and nothing but the truth and say aah doctor please tell my benefactor that I was not poisoned and in my blood there was no trace of poison and the doctor does exactly that towards the benefactor," Dr Mugabe.

"And depending again on the audience you will be talking to, probably it is the Politburo, you vehemently deny before the Politburo that you didn't eat ice cream and that you were never poisoned. You go again to Central Committee, people are talking about the issue, that someone was poisoned, aah probably it is the First Lady who did it and you say, let me set the record straight, I was not poisoned," said Amai Mugabe.

She added: "You go to a memorial service somewhere, I suppose it is a memorial service kunononyaradzanwa, memorial service kunoenda kunonyaradzanwa vanenge vadii, vafirwa ehe. So depending on the audience, aah pamwe you are seeking sympathy and you say aah ndakapoizenwa. Game yacho yakaoma. Nekuti kuri kunyaradzanwa so you say ndakapoizenwa, ungangonyaradzwawo."

Dr Mugabe warned Zanu-PF youths to stay away from such shenanigans.

"So be careful youngsters do not play this game. It is a dangerous game. It is not meant to be played by the youths but by only those people in the positions of Vice Presidents," she said.

Dr Mugabe urged youths to support each other and back indigenous projects instead of spreading lies about each other as was the case with VP Mnangagwa.

Amai Mugabe said allegations that VP Mnangagwa was poisoned were baseless as she had no reason at all to kill him.

"Tinganoita prepare a cup imwechete for Mnangagwa. Kuuraya Mnangagwa kuti ndaita sei? I am a wife of the President. Who is Mnangagwa on this earth? Who is he? Ndiyani angatouraye umwe ipapa apo? I want to ask, what do I get from him? I am the wife of Mugabe, but someone anosimuka oti inini I want to kill Mnangagwa kuti ndinodei kwaari chandisina ini? Yes, my husband is the President. He is an intelligent man I am proud of. The most principled man ever on earth. The peaceful man ever on earth. Someone very disciplined when it comes to madzimai, yes. He is not a bambazonke type. Never. It is me and me alone. Saka chii chandingade kune umwe munhu, ndinodirei kuuraya umwe munhu? Aiwa munhu akatopihwawo basa nemurume wangu ndomuuraya inini. It is nonsensical," said Dr Mugabe.

She said people must learn to keep quiet when they have nothing to say.

"Politics kana dzakusvika ipapo that means wapererwa. Kana wapererwa chienda kumba unogara. Kana watryer zvese zvawatryer zvaramba, chirega kuramba uchitaurisa zvambotaurwa paya nekuti unenge wakutaura zvinhu zvisina kukodzera. Nekuti hazviite kuti munhu angati I like the President but I do not like his wife, impossible, hazviite, which means you do not like the President himself."

Dr Mugabe said there were other people who were threatening others that if Vice President Mnangagwa does not succeed President Mugabe, they would be killed.

She said she will not lose sleep over such threats or bow down to the pressure.

Dr Mugabe said there were others who were even thinking of a coup. She said no one recognises a coup even in the SADC region and such people should be charged with treason. Dr Mugabe said people must not be forced to choose a leader.

"We must be greatful kuti tine mutungamiriri ari tolerant and you must not take that tolerance too far. Vanhu you continue to abuse the President. You tell the President this story today, tomorrow you tell him another story iri contrary to the story yawakambotaura, you think he is a fool. Okay let us wait and stop there."

Thousands of youths from all provinces of the country, ministers, deputy ministers, permanent secretaries, senior Government officials and heads of parastatals and state entities were part of the gathering that attended the launch of the Empower Bank and the Zimbabwe Champions and Heroes of the Economic Empowerment Revolution (ZIMCHEER).

ZIMCHEER is a youth empowerment initiative meant to unlock the entreprenuership potential in young people thereby creating employment.