via Grace defies lawsuit threats, gives tractors – New Zimbabwe 22/11/2015
THE First Lady Grace Mugabe weekend went on yet another round of dispensing government sourced farm implements at Zanu PF rallies, ignoring opposition threats to sue her for grabbing and abusing state resources.
In her two rallies, President Robert Mugabe’s wife took time to berate critics who view her as silently staking a claim to presidency at the expense of Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
“We respect the law. On top of that I am well educated that is why I am Dr Mugabe,” she ranted before government officials and party followers.
“I read and understand the Constitution. They want to reduce me to a dull person who knows nothing. I do not usurp any body’s powers.”
But the controversial Zanu PF women’s league secretary appeared to toss her assumed principles right through the proverbial window during her Mberengwa and Murehwa provincial rallies Friday and Saturday.
She parcelled out tractors, planters, sprayers, fertiliser and other implements running into hundreds of thousands of US dollars.
All the implements were channelled through Zanu PF structures.
The MDC-T has threatened to approach the courts in attempts block Grace’s continued grabbing of implements sourced through an agreement between Zimbabwe and Brazil.
“We said that few days ago that we are seriously considering taking legal action to have her stopped from doing that,” Gutu told Newzimbabwe.com last week.
Quizzed by opposition legislators on why Grace, a non-government official, was distributing government assets last month, VP Mnangagwa struggled to defend the practice.
Mnangagwa said the First Lady was “just handing over equipment as identified by the ministry of agriculture”.
The opposition also threatened to push through a motion via parliament aimed at stopping the abuse of government property.
Gutu said they were still consulting with a legal team on how to file the challenge.
Presidential spokesperson George Charamba last week refused to discuss Grace’s controversial actions, saying he could only comment if the first lady resumed parcelling out the tractors.
“I want you to wait for events so that you don’t anticipate events…she can’t carry out what has not happened. Wait for tomorrow,” he said then.
He was not reachable Sunday when further attempts to seek his comments
were made.
COMMENTS