Mugabe and his wife's primeval insatiable greed is the root cause of their downfall. By Wilbert Mukori

Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace are an intriguing and yet very ordinary couple who were lucky to have power and wealth thrust upon them. They got punch drunk on absolute power and their primeval instinct, the insatiable greed for more power and riches, kicked in exposing their weaknesses, Achilles’ heel, and their down fall.

 

Mugabe has proven to be a tough cookie considering that he has managed to stay in power for 36 years irrespective of his pathetic record as an incompetent, corrupt and murderous tyrant. Zimbabwe, the jewel of Africa in 1980 when Mugabe became leader, is today an example of a failed state. In his 36 years in power Mugabe has murdered over 30 000 innocent Zimbabweans to establish and retain the de facto one-party one-man dictatorship. So how come he has managed to remain in power for 36 years and counting regardless his failed leadership record?

 

Answer: he has managed to cheap, bamboozle and even kill his political opponents both from within his own party, Zanu PF, and the opposition. He has stayed one block ahead of the chasing pack! However it should also be noted that most of his political opponents have turned out to be some of the most corrupt and incompetent individuals in Zimbabwe’s history.

For a while it seemed Mugabe, the Artful Dodger, would have rule Zimbabwe unopposed till his death or the day he chose to retire and appoint his own successor. Ever since his wife Grace entered the political stage in August 2014 Mugabe has watched helpless as his party imploded and his wish to be President for Life has never been so openly challenged. As for his wish to appoint his own successor; he can but his/her continued reign beyond his death is doubtful.

 

It turned out Mugabel, like most other mortals, had his Achilles’ heel; his bossy wife, Grace. Mugabe is a hen-pecked husband. Ever since Grace decided she wanted to be the next President in August 2014 she has bullied him into going along. She bullied him into “baby dumping” Joice Mujuru, whom she considered the biggest threat to her ambition at the time. She had the chutzpah publicly announce that if he did not do it she will do it herself!

 

When Jabulani Sibanda said there had been “a bedroom coup” in State House he was putting into words what many had observed but did not dare to say. Mugabe was hurt by that jibe because it was true and it was no surprise that Sibanda was the only minions who was fired from the party without the usual niceties of stage managed vote of no confidence, etc.

 

Grace’s meteoric political rise; she is now accepted being second to Mugabe himself and VP Mphoko, at least, has publicly  acknowledged this; is surprising given that she is just an empty head with a foul mouth. It is only when considers whom she is riding, none other than Robert Mugabe himself; her rise supersonic rise makes sense. Ever since Grace teamed Mugabe and was able to ride him like Donkey riding the fire-breathing dragon in Shrek , she has enjoyed the closest thing a mortal can feel to limitless power . She has been denied nothing money can buy! Nothing!

Love at first sight! Speechless! Speechless! Bedroom coup – what bedroom coup!

Having enjoyed absolute power in her own right and used her position to build for herself and her family a sizable business empire it is not surprising that she sort to secure these continued after Mugabe seized to be president. The only sure way to ensure her privileged life continued without ever coming down even one single ran down the social ladder was by her assuming the presidency after her husband. Mugabe had no choice but to go along with her scheme, no discussion!

 

Mugabe gave Grace’s hare-brain scheme, hare-brain since she is an empty head, to be his successor his full backing. As soon as Mujuru and her supporters were dumped Grace formed her on faction, the G40, with the view of going after VP Emmerson Mnangagwa, the next threat to her presidential ambition.

 

In spite all her best efforts and great expense in cash and kind Grace has failed to build a formidable faction to deliver the knockout punch on the Lacoste faction. Grace was able to team her fire-breathing husband but the rest of the party members have remained decidedly unimpressed by her.

 

Zanu PF members and the nation at large frightened stiff of the dragon Grace is riding but none of them are frightened of her and hence lays her weakness. G40 faction and Grace’s continued political influence are totally dependent on Mugabe remaining in power.  Since he is old and in poor health; there is no doubt that he is counting every day as a bonus. Grace knows this and has already made it clear she will fight to ensure Mugabe remains in office for as long as possible.

“I said we will make a special wheelchair for Mugabe such that when he can’t walk, we will push him to rallies,” said Grace last year.

 

“We have travelled a lot [around the world] and we have seen that happening. Other leaders are blind and if Mugabe turns blind, who cares, he is our choice.”

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The infighting Grace Mugabe started with the dumping of Mujuru has raged on ever since; Zanu PF is imploding. For the first time in his long political career Mugabe has been left totally helpless. The day Mugabe steps down or dies; Grace’s fall from power will take a nose dive and she will land with a terminal velocity befitting her meteoric rise and the heaven heights she has lived in all these years. Do not look down; it is a long, long way down to fall!