Grace preparing for life after Mugabe?

FROM a typist in the office of the president just over two decades ago, First Lady Grace Mugabe might be setting herself up as the kingmaker, or better still, the heir to the throne in an improbable turnaround.

Grace, now a holder of a contentious doctorate, is set to assume the top post of the Zanu-PF women's league and with her endless "thank you" rallies, many increasingly fear she could be more ambitious than that.

While she is increasingly gaining publicity, her husband, President Robert Mugabe, has recoiled from the limelight, letting her shine in the media spotlight.

Grace's sudden rise has left many with question marks on what Zanu-PF's strategy is in its ever murky succession battles and what influence the First Lady has on who would take over from her husband.

But the First Lady could have inadvertently spilt the beans on what her plans are.

"As a woman you need to do your own things," she told a rally in Harare on Wednesday.

"You will realise that when your husband dies, life will be tough."

The question is: Could Grace be preparing for life after Mugabe, or was this just an innocuous message?

Journalist and political analyst Methuseli Moyo reckons Grace, like everyone within Zanu-PF, is preparing for life after Mugabe.

"This is being done by everyone in Zanu-PF because they have seen that the end of Mugabe is nigh," he said.

"That's why there are factions and it's getting hotter and hotter.

"Grace realised that very soon she will face the world alone after her husband is gone. Her entry into politics clearly confirms to me that these are Mugabe's last days in politics. So she's preparing her life after Mugabe has gone."

Since her marriage to Mugabe in 1996, Grace has amassed a lot of wealth, including land and some speculate that her entry is to protect her fortune in the event that her husband left the presidency.

"Grace Mugabe is grouping people around herself and her own political project to seize power in the party and the country, if not to ensure that those who will protect her vast business empire succeed Mugabe and secure her golden pickings for posterity," political blogger Dinizulu Macaphunana wrote for newzimbabwe.com, earlier in the year.

Political analyst Nhamo Mhiripiri said it was too early to judge Grace, but the nation should wait to see whether her ideas would change the lives of people.

"She has clearly outwardly said she was trying to unite the people. We cannot tell what was happening in her mind when she decided to actively participate in politics, whether she's selfish and only doing it for herself," he said.

As if to cement Grace's unimpeded political rise, she is now being addressed as "Her Excellency" at her rallies, as politicians and Zanu-PF apparatchiks go out of their way to shower her with praises.

To round up her praises, some pastors last week described her as "queen of the world", declaring their undying support for her.

State media has afforded her unlimited time both in print and in broadcast, as Grace, who at the time of her marriage pledged to take a backseat in politics, continues to receive unbridled praise.

Only time will tell how long her political star will continue to shine, but as MDC secretary-general Priscilla Misihairabwi- Mushonga warned, she must be wary of being used as a pawn in Zanu-PF's succession wars.