Hichilema snubs ED inauguration , Grace Mugabe charms crowd

By founding editor Nigel Tawanda Pfunde

Harare- FORMER First Lady Grace Mugabe charmed the crowd that gathered for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s inauguration Monday,Express Mail Zim can report.

She received a standing ovation and deafening wild ululations from the bumper crowd that seemingly missed “Dr stop It” as she was affectionally known in her ’15 seconds of fame’ and ‘petticoat power’.
She literally controlled the levers of power taking advantage of the late President Robert Mugabe’s advanced age.

At his own admission,Mugabe confessed that he was been abused at home.
“Ndozvandoitwa kumba izvozvo,” he said in his booming and eloquent voice.

Mugabe got the trophy wife after ‘workplace romance’ where dimunitive retired politician and businessman Ray Kaukonde is said to have been instrumental in the match-making after the late Goreraza had been reassigned.

Pictures of their daughter Bona made it on the then top local magazine The Horizon where she donned a Dominican Convent uniform holding a brown bookcase that this reporter has vivid memories of.

Grace Mugabe has been on a low profile and a pale shadow of her former self.

A prominent player of the G40 cabal,Grace’ s gracing of the inauguration is a sign of political maturity ahead of national development after a peaceful, free and fair elections.

She was sporting an expensive handbag- typical of her penchant of a lavjsh lifestyle reminscient of Mary Antoinnete who had more than 100 pairs of shoes during her husband’s tenure.

In a hypocritical and non Pan Africanism development,the current Sadc Troika chairperson Hakainde Hichilema snubbed the esteemed event and sent an emissary Stanley Kakubo after previously sending the misguided Nevers Mumba whose fallacious and Afrophobic preliminary report was condemned by serious African citizens and global leaders.

Zambia is in the face of a grain crisis and is rumoured to have send top officials to import grain from Zimbabwe after the nation received a bumper harvest

Revolutionary leaders like Cyril Ramaphosa attended the milestone event and was joined by his Mozambican and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) counterparts, Felipe Nyusi and Felix Tshisekedi, respectively.

Kenya, Eswatini and Tanzania sent their prime ministers while Botswana was represented by the country’s vice-president.

Mnangagwa promised to be tolerant to the opposition and promote democracy and the rule of law, which have been sticking issues in his first five-year rule.

“Under my leadership and the new Zanu PF government, democracy, good governance, the rule of law and the politics of tolerance will be entrenched in line with the spirit and letter of our sacred national Constitution and laws. The institution of traditional leadership and freedom of worship will continue to be protected by my new government,” he said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration event, South African’s ruling party, African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula endorsed Mnangagwa’s victory saying Zimbabwe is a sovereign country.

“We had an election in Zimbabwe that was not marred by violence and was peaceful. We know what Zimbabwe want is prosperity and also regional integration.

“We are opposed to any form of sanctions on this country. As the ANC party, we respect the will of the people and sovereignty of the country. We know what imposition of unilateralism has done to nation States like Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said.

Mbalula said the United States’ position on the elections and their outcome was invalid as they were no saints on matters of elections.

“America is not the world police. We do not take advice from them and they cannot force us to reform because they too have their own problems,” he said.

Former Vice-Presidents Joyce Mujuru and Phelekezela Mphoko also attended the event in a move analysts say is to protect their business interests bordered on sycophantic disposition synonymous with African politicians.