MDC urges action against Grace Mugabe

via MDC urges action against Grace Mugabe 08 January 2015

THE Welshman Ncube led MDC party has condemned First Lady Grace Mugabe’s move to evict over 200 families from a Mazowe farm, saying it was high time something was done to stop her from doing more damage to the country.

Reports this week said Grace ordered the eviction of villagers from the Manzou Estate in Mazowe district, to pave way for her private game reserve.

On Wednesday, truckloads of police officers descended on the farm and ordered the occupants out. Pictures showed pathetic villagers gathered outside their destroyed dwellings.

The latest evictions follow another spate of evictions last year at the same farm, where more than 700 villagers were evicted, at the behest of the First Lady.

A High Court order later granted them authority to stay at the farm until alternative land was identified.

MDC national spokesperson Nhlanhla Dube said if left unchecked, Grace will turn the country into a banana republic.

“While Grace Mugabe’s notoriety for ruthlessness, selfishness, arrogance and disrespect is well documented, we believe this time she has scaled new heights and demonstrated that she can abuse people’s rights to her heart’s content with absolute impunity.

“As First Lady Grace should be a mother to the whole nation, unfortunately she stands at the opposite end of this expectation in spirit and in deed. Her gluttony and egotistical behaviour is despicable, inexcusable and shameful; left unchecked she will turn our country into a banana republic,” said Dube in a statement.

He added: “The use of the national police force to perform this anti people act, which renders wild animals more important than humans is shocking to the core.

“It is despicable that more than 200 families have been left out in the open at the mercy of the brutal rain, cold and mosquitoes after the callous eviction and destruction of their homes and crops while Grace and her family are living in the cosy comfort of the Far East.”

Dube said the MDC was opposed to the evictions and the rule of law should prevail.

“We demand urgent justice for the evicted farmers and their families. Grace needs to understand that Zimbabwe, unlike Zanu PF, is not her personal property which she can manipulate and abuse at will. Zimbabwe is for us all, black, white, yellow rich or poor.

“It is particularly sad that the affected are mostly Zanu PF members who were hoodwinked into occupying the land in return for votes. Those same voters are now sacrificed and shown that they are of less value than tradable wild animals,” said the MDC spokesperson.

Grace recently became the Zanu PF Women’s League boss, a powerful post which observers say she is using to situate herself as the country’s defacto leader with Mugabe believed to be preparing her to take over from him.

That followed her whirlwind campaign trail around the country last year during which she accused former Vice President Joice Mujuru of gross incompetence and corruption.

Grace’s hand was to be noticeable in the eventual firing of Mujuru by President Mugabe.

Meanwhile the MDC-Renewal Team said the eviction of farmers was “itself a shameful indictment of the first lady and President Mugabe as the evictees risk having their belongings destroyed by the rains.”