Philanthropic works by First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, which have spread across the length and breadth of the country, have helped to shine a light on living conditions of most Zimbabweans, prompting Government to intervene to complement her efforts in some cases, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.

Addressing guests at State House on Friday during an appreciation dinner hosted by the First Lady for partners who worked with her philanthropic arm, Angel of Hope Foundation, the President said he was “touched” by some of the work that the foundation has done so far.

President Mnangagwa, who chairs the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation, spent the better part of Friday in Botswana to witness the inauguration of that country’s fifth President, Mokgweetsi Masisi.

“My dear wife said I should attend. I was in Botswana and had to rush here soon after landing. Looking at the audience here, I feel very much touched by the work Angel of Hope is doing. It is only slightly more than a year since it was founded,” said President Mnangagwa.

“When my wife discussed with me about it, I have a principle in my life that you do not stand in the way of ideas by people — good or bad. It turned out that this was something else. Possibly, she must have chosen a good team also,” he said.

The First Lady, he said, always had a passion for philanthropic work and within a short space of time, her foundation has been to places where he, as a politician, had never visited before.State media