The Rise and rise of 'Dr' Grace Mugabe

Recently the country awoke to the sudden introduction of the First Lady into main stream Zimbabwean politics. Initially she was known plainly as The First Lady. Her status has been further qualified by her miraculous acquisition of her PhD, hence she is now aptly known as Dr Grace Mugabe. While her PhD has tarnished the University of Zimbabwe and cast doubts on the credibility of the rest of the country's educational institutions, her entry into politics is about to tarnish further the Zimbabwean political landscape. How so, you may wonder.

She has been 'democratically' elected as the leader of the women's wing of Zanu-PF. Greater things await her. Dr Mugabe will soon be fast-tracked into a higher post in the party and/or in government. The speed in which she gets what she craves for is amazing. Again I refer to the doctorate as an example. She is now destined for higher office as she is married to the ageing 'god' of power. Before we know it, Dr Grace will be a senior Minister. She does not have the time to waste serving as a junior parliamentarian or junior minister. Dr Mugabe is in a hurry to get somewhere. But where? We can only speculate. Could she be the next Vice President?  Could she be the next state president?

This is where I applaud the President's cunning ways. Robert Mugabe (no PhD yet, he is still to submit his thesis / dissertation).  He is the proverbial fox full of tricks. For years he has been outwitting his colleagues and enemies alike. First he outwitted and outmanoeuvred Joshua M. Nkomo and Zapu when he was instrumental in forming Zanu-Pf as a splinter party from Zapu. Then he repeated his trickery by driving Zapu into the 1987 Unity Accord. He used the stick approach (Gukurahundi) and then the carrot approach (unity accord, a part in government,  blah blah). Using similar tactics he has outwitted all forms of opposition political organisations. This should have ended with the spectacular destruction of MDC-T.  But no, the man is addicted to his ways. All the time Zanu-PF stalwarts and supporters have been cheering him from the sidelines. One wonders when the fox will unwittingly out fox self; maybe this is the beginning of that process. Some say the unleashing of Grace in to the political scene has nothing to do with the old fox wanting her to take over as he knows that that might be impossible. However, some say people are being conditioned to accept Grace as their future president through the soft approach via women's league leadership. The times are intriguing, but if one were reduce this to its basic nature taking in to account that Mugabe has ruled by fear one may accurately predict a chaotic ending to his ways.

What amazes yours truly is the sudden turn against his own party. All along he has been giving either Mnangagwa or Mujuru hope that one day they may end up in his hotseat. Now he is about to outwit the loyal Zanu-PF senior politicians. These poor men and women have waited for their chance  to become vice president and president when the baton is passed to them. The likes of Amai Mujuru, that Mnangagwa chap, SK MOYO and others are in that category.  All that work, only for 'Dr' Mugabe to overtake them.

It seems Robert Gabriel Mugabe already had a plan. Dr Mugabe will be installed as the successor to Robert Mugabe.  It will not end there. Robert Jnr will take over from 'mummy'. The Mugabe Dynasty. Mark my words. Scary though. I am not suggesting that this plan will be a success. Only that he has been hoodwinking the whole of the Zanu-PF family all along. Addressing the crowd yesterday, before the Politburo meeting, Mugabe castigated those against 'Dr' Amai Mugabe's rise and told them that there was nothing amiss in his wife aspiring to occupy the highest office in the land.

Dr Mugabe has already bared her teeth. There is a ruthless streak in her.  Zanu-PF stalwarts like Mnangagwa have a proven track history of thriving on blood. I eagerly await the events which will follow when Robert Mugabe meets his maker if I do not meet mine first. Zanu ye ropa as he constantly reminds us, the blood will follow him to his grave.

Forget what they are saying about Dr Mugabe's sudden rise. She is not planning to topple the President. Dah. The president is about to anoint his wife to the highest office of the land. Right under Jabulani Sibanda's nose. Izithukuthuku zenja ziphelela eboyeni bakwethu.

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Written by Bokani Mlindelwa the leader of the Information Team. Released by ZAPU Europe Information, Publicity and Marketing Department zapuinformteam@gmail.com