How safe is President Robert Mugabe under his wife?
First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe has disclosed that she was once offered a $10 million bribe to blight her husband’s judgement.
Addressing ZANU PF supporters at Mataga growth point in Mberengwa this afternoon, the First Lady said that an unnamed white commercial farmer approached her with the offer to get her to convince her husband to give up the land grabs that were going on in the country at that time. She claims to have been very infuriated by the white farmer’s ridiculous offer and told him to get out of her office.
“I got so angry and told him to get out of my office. In fact I wanted to even kick him,” said the First Lady.
“What is $10 million? Such a little amount!!. There is more than 10 million of us here in Zimbabwe and can’t even share this money with all of us,” she added.
Stories of senior ZANU PF officials who took bribes to protect some white commercial farmers from losing their farms or properties have begun coming out as factionalism emerges in the party in the run up to the succession of president Mugabe. Almost all senior ZANU PF members who have been dismissed from the party or have left the party have allegations of corruption in land dealings following them as they leave the party.
Former Vice President Joyce Mujuru has land corruption charges hanging over her since she left the party.
Former Secretary for Administration in ZANU PF Didymus Mutasa has similar allegations on his head and so are other former members and legislators Themba Mliswa, Rugare Gumbo to mention a few.
The revelation by the First Lady might be a tip that there is more to the land dealings hidden in the ZANU PF closet system.
Political analysts speaking on social media expressed shock at why the First Lady is only making the revelation now and why she did not make an official report on the matter.
One Thulani Moyo said that if indeed the incident did take place, President Mugabe would have gone over the mountains on the issue and even got the white person involved arrested.
“We know both Grace and Mugabe very well and these are the kind of issues they want. There is no way they would have kept quiet on the matter. And why is Grace hiding the farmer’s identity? She took the money that’s what it boils down to,” he wrote.