Last year Oppah helped Grace "baby dump" Mujuru she has since been scolded into tears for her reward! By W Mukori

President Mugabe is not the only one who is being bullied around by his wife Grace, she has all the bigwigs in Zanu PF on the cosh! Look at the large of senior party leaders have been attending her meet-the-people rallies, all grovelling to please her?

Party minions like Joseph Chinotimba and Minister Shuvai Mahofa have been dancing before her as if they are possessed. When the former stopped to catch a breath Grace was not displeased and asked him if he not pleased. Mahofa did not want to risk a similar reprimand and so she danced until she passed out, there is only so much a 75 year old can physically take.

Shuvai Mahofa was rewarded for her vigorous dancing - she is a woman of no notable talent or ability, which is fine since merit counts for nothing anywhere in Zanu PF -; she was appointed the Provincial Minister of Masvingo. Her office was moved from the first floor to the ground floor because she was too old to walk up the stairs, she said.

Minister Mahofa dance before Grace as if she was possessed by a whole legion of devilish spirits; the desire to please her new found demigod, Grace, gave the minister super human strength and vigour!

Each time Grace holds one of her rallies government business grinds to a halt. Many of the ministers, deputy ministers and civil servants drop everything to attend to her. They all compete for her attention and will go the extra mile to ensure she notice them in turn. Minister Chombo was on his knees before her on one occasion, just so she noticed him.

The two VPs too have joined the rat race to impress her. Grace told a public gathering in Kadoma that the two gentlemen consults her regularly and, like school children, that they take down notes of what her tells them. It is hard to imagine her saying anything of substance worth remembering let alone worth writing down; no doubt the two VPs are taking down notes to feed her hot-air balloon size ego.

VP Mphoko has had "great honour and privilege" to introduce Grace to public at some of her rallies. Many have rightly questioned the etiquette given that she is only chairperson of the party’s women’s league and not even a minister of government. He and VP Mnangagwa are both “junior” to Grace, VP Mphoko explained; making is as clear as mud!

In their hasty to please Grace some of the Zanu PF leaders forgot that what goes round comes round. Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri was one such leader whose forgetfulness has since come back to haunt her. Last year the Minister was Grace's chief cheer leader, when the later launched her merciless but unwarranted attack of the then VP Joice Mujuru.

Grace denounced Mujuru for being lazy, corrupt and, most serious of all, plotting to assassinate President Mugabe. Few people would deny that Mujuru is lazy and corrupt but then no one in Zanu PF, much more her principle accuser, would dare cast the first stone to show they were not themselves guilty of the same charges.

Grace demanded the “baby dumping” of Mujuru and threatened that if “Baba (Mugabe) does not do it, she will!” Baba swiftly metered out the harsh punish and “baby dumped” Mujuru and many of her supporters out of the party and government. Yet a year later, none of the alleged plotters have been arrested or one iota of evidence of the assassination plot produced.

Last week Grace Mugabe attacked her chief cheer-leader in a scene reminiscent of the attack of Mujuru a year ago which left Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri in tears.  

“Wakabvira kare uchindijairira ... (You have never respected me)” Grace scolded the tearful Minister at the Zanu PF politburo meeting. It should be noted that it was Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri step-down as chairperson of the women’s league give Grace the post and thus the platform to attack Mujuru. And what thanks does she get from Grace – a serious mauling from the power hungry wild-cat!

Minister Muchinguri – Kashiri should have sort Minister Jonathan Moyo, another politburo members who too has been scolded like naughty toddler and who too was reduced to tears by these Mugabe demigods!

For all his chauvinistic macho posturing, Professor Jonathan Moyo cried when Mugabe confronted him with the details of the foiled 2004 Tsholotsho coup plot. “Achema misodzo!” (He cried tears!) Mugabe boosted in triumph!

At last week’s meeting, Mugabe reportedly sat, stone faced and silent whilst his wife ranted and raved. He did not dare interrupt Grace in full flow; she publicly told him to shut up in the past, he did not want to be told so again.

Jabulani Sibanda, the war vet who until he too was booted out of the party with Mujuru last year considered himself a demigod in his own right, denounce Grace’s shameless tyranny over her husband and everyone else in Zanu PF in pursuit of the presidency a “bedroom coup!”  One does not need to be a marriage councillor to see Mugabe is now a henpecked husband.

When Grace was quite finished giving Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri the thorough tongue lashing, Mugabe too reprimanded the tearful Minister.  He admonished both Muchinguri-Kashiri and War veterans minister Christopher Mutsvangwa for flaunting their liberation war credentials to get special treatment. Look who is talking!

Here is the man who has publicly and unashamedly justified the unleashing of the 2008 wanton violence against the defenceless people, denying them a meaningful vote because only those with liberation war credentials were rule the country. “What was achieved by the bullet cannot be undone with a ballot!” Mugabe said then.

Indeed the nation has never had free and fair elections because since Zanu PF is the only party with liberation war credentials Mugabe has institute a political system designed to ensure the was no regime change regardless the people’s democratic wishes.

Mugabe has repeatedly and brazenly flaunted his liberation war credentials for the most sinister and selfish reasons with the tragic consequences of the political and economic hell the nation finds itself in today. What a cynical hypocrite; he reprimands other for the speck in their eyes which he put there but fails to see the log in his own eye!

Zimbabwe is in this political and economic hell-on-earth because we are a nation not ruled by law and reason but instead are ruled by fear and whims of a numskull tyrant – for the last few years, it has become a henpecked numskull tyrant and his brainless wild cat. If we are ever to get out of this hell then we must demand the full implementation of the 2008 GPA democratic reforms, designed to end this no-regime-change mantra.