Grace Mugabe a negative role model for Women

A role model is a person whose behaviour or success is an example to be emulated by others, especially young people.  It is a person who inspires others to form a vision for their own future and sends a positive message to everyone.

As an elder in the Zimbabwe African Women's Union (ZAWU) I am appalled by the example being set by the First Lady.  She has burst into the political arena like a headless chicken without a sense of direction.  It pains me to have to pull down another woman but the truth is Dr Grace Mugabe gives women a bad name at a time when gender equality issues have just got on the agenda.  ZAWU which is part of ZAPU is striving to empower all women to participate in decision making at all levels of society, including political leadership.  We value positive role models, across the political divide, in the civil society and our diverse communities. Unfortunately the First Lady is proving to be a negative role model especially in the political arena. Her utterances mud waters and leave people confused about what she is all about.  ZAWU believes in promoting social cohesion based on respect for differences.  

Her entrance into politics may appear to be a brave action to be emulated by other women who lack confidence to enter the male dominated arena.  We have seen Zanu Women's League paving the way for her to climb the ladder.  This gives the appearance that she has admirers among some Zanu women.  But I say to women like Oppah Muchinguri you are setting a bad example for our good nation.

For me Grace Mugabe is not a positive role model because she is prepared to climb on other women's shoulders to get to the top.  A positive role model is humble and starts her ascendance from the bottom and works her way up.  Grace Mugabe feels entitled to a top position by virtue of being the wife of the president.  She claims to have been mentored well by her husband.  Yes her husband has done a good job to teach her to insult, threaten and denigrate anyone perceived to be in the way of her rise.  Such behaviour is far from setting a good example for women and young people.  ZAWU deplores such behaviour.

The manner by which she got the status of First Lady leaves a sour taste in the mouth and perpetuates the stereotypical attitude that a woman cannot attain economic or political power on her own right.  She has to be a wife or a "small house" of a powerful man to rise to power.  Young women find themselves disadvantaged by "sugar daddies".

Grace Mugabe married her sugar daddy and she is now using this old man to rise to power.  Is this what we want for our daughters to emulate?

Grace Mugabe's "meet the people" circus is an embarrassment to women.  She has engaged in putting people down in those meetings.  Zimbabweans should expect their First Lady to be compassionate, be able to seek to understand people's true circumstances and send positive messages that uplift them.  How dare she blames people of Matebeleland for underdevelopment without seeking to understand the underlying causes?  It is difficult to understand why the ex-ZAPU members who have remained in Zanu tolerate the dressing down by this woman.  They need to reconsider their position in Zanu and come home to ZAPU if they are prepared to leave the gravy train.  How dare she indirectly insult women of Matabeleland by stating that their men are good at fathering many children and having multi female partners. One would expect a person who spent 'years and years' studying for a PhD to be able to research her facts and also engage her brain before opening her mouth to parade her ignorance.  I am sure she is not aware that the recent discredited national census shows that the population of Matebeleland has gone down in comparison to provinces in the north of the country.  So where are these children?

She is accused of tarnishing the reputation of the University of Zimbabwe by obtaining a PhD under questionable circumstances.  Some have called it a miraculous degree. If this is true, how can she be a role model for young people who struggle to raise fees in order to engage in serious study to obtain degrees?

Without sounding harsh on our First Lady she gives the impression of lacking love and respect for our elderly president, her husband.  Traditionally elders or okhulu are relieved of the heavy burdening roles but, continue to offer their wisdom behind the scenes to their successors.  It is puzzling why a loving wife and compassionate woman is fighting for her husband to die on the job.  At 90 years old President Robert Mugabe deserves to be a grandfather figure of the nation instead of being used to glue Zanu together and for self-interest.

Amai Mugabe change your ways if you have the capacity and walk with those you chide and put down and you will be a highly respectable woman.  

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Ms Sakhile Sibanda is the Chairperson of the ZAPU NPC in Europe. In 2010 Mrs Sakhile Sibanda was elected to ZAPU's National People's Council (NPC) at the People's Congress. The NPC is the highest decision making body in ZAPU outside the People's Congress.
In 1973 she moved to the UK to further her education. She holds a BA (Hons) degree in Politics and Public Administration (1979), MA in Applied Social Science (1988), Certificate of Qualification in Social Work 1988), Practice Teaching qualification (1993) and Family Mediation qualification (1999).
Released by ZAPU Europe Information, Publicity and Marketing Department.
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