By A Correspondent- Known for hogging the limelight every christmas as she made donations all over Zimbabwe, the former First lady Grace Mugabe was conspicuosly absent from the limelight raising speculation on her whereabouts.
Dr Amai, as she became known after acquiring her controversial 2014 doctorate which cost Zimbabwean academic, the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe Levi Martin Nyagura his job, christmas time was usually a time for pomp and fanfare for the former first lady as she donated to orphans, the old and vulnerable members of society.
In 2015, journalists also benefitted from Grace’s benevolence as many- from both independent and public news outlets – each received a 50kg bag of rice sourced from China, 4 liters of cooking oil, 4 bars of bathing soap and washing powder.
Amai Mugabe pledged the food hampers at a rally after taking aim at “hungry” reporters from the private media for being “overly fixated with her personality at the expense of developmental issues.”
“Journalists from Daily News, NewsDay, Independent, I like you my children, you can’t do without me, I’m back. If you hear them making noise they are hungry, they want food so they can write stories,” Mrs. Mugabe was quoted as saying by NewsDay.
In 2019, the first christmas where Dr Amai and her family spent following the death of her husband, Robert, Grace was however nowhere to be seen with the current First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa filling in her shoes as she went about donating goodies to the elderly in Midlands.
In Shurugwi, Mnangagwa washed dishes, did laundry and cleaned homes.
Reported the state media:
“Amai Mnangagwa surprised many with her appreciation of the rural set-up when she left homes squeaky clean using cow dung.”