Grace Mugabe the Trump of Zimbabwe

The $1.35 million diamond recently bought by Grace Mugabe was only the sparkler on top of a $7.5 million spending spree. Apart from the diamond, Grace is known to have also recently paid $4.5 million for a large property in Borrowdale close to the mansion where the Mugabes live, in preference to State House.  

The Teede family who sold th eproperty understandably do not want to discuss the deal but a local resident said: ‘The Teedes probably decided to sell their home and land to Grace Mugabe because they feared she would take it if they refused. We understand Grace Mugabe wants this property to develop many upmarket homes in a security estate.'

Property magnate Grace is also spending money on an expensive private school complex near Mazowe village about 20 kilometres west of Harare on land seized without payment from an old white couple fifteen years ago. A teacher there said pupils, mostly boarders, were charged $3,700 a term. The complex is below a huge luxury home Grace finished building last year.

Dr Grace is reported to have taken about a dozen other properties, mostly white-owned farms, since 2001. Robert has lagged behind, seizing only about six farms for himself. But then he is getting on a bit.

Revelations of Grace's spending spree came as it emerged that the Mugabes are paying up to half a million dollars a year on renting a ten bedroom house in Dubai. The disclosure came in an affidavit filed in the High Court this week in relation to the legal dispute over Grace's diamond, which was bought in Dubai.

What is clear to the Vigil, in light of the vast wealth of the Mugabes, is that they have enough resources on their own to be sure of winning next year's elections. All the old Zanu-PF tricks have been deployed in today's Bikita West by-election, even down to Zanu-PF telling voters to declare that they are illiterate so that they can be 'helped' to vote for Zanu-PF.

Apart from the predictable violence, intimidation etc, traditional rulers have been coerced into working for Zanu-PF and there has been the usual partisan food distribution and fertiliser allocation to Zanu-PF supporters. People have been told that Zanu-PF has the serial numbers which will allow them to identify voters. And then, of course, there is the bribery .