via Muchinguri confirms Grace abroad for treatment – NewsDay Zimbabwe March 27, 2015
Zanu PF politburo member Oppah Muchinguri has confirmed that her predecessor as the party’s Women’s League boss, First Lady Grace Mugabe, is out of the country seeking medical treatment, as speculation over her absence from the public scene continues to grow.
by PRIVILEGE SHOKO
In an interview, Muchinguri said there was nothing wrong with Grace going out of the country for check-ups.
“The First Lady is a human being like any other person and just because she is the First Lady people talk,” she said.
“There is nothing wrong with her going out of the country for check-ups.”
Grace, who has been ever present at her husband’s side, has been conspicuous by her absence from public functions and President Robert Mugabe’s foreign trips, setting tongues wagging.
So far, the government has not said anything about Grace’s absence, but Muchinguri’s statement confirmed that the First Lady was unwell and was out of the country.
Early this year, Mugabe said his wife had an appendix operation, but this explanation was increasingly tenuous, as medical doctors described it as a simple procedure that could not be the reason for her continued trips to Asia for treatment.
On his way to Japan, Mugabe passed through Singapore. Other sources claim Grace could be in Dubai, where her son is studying at the American University, where she was reportedly being treated.
Grace, who dominated Zimbabwe’s political scene late last year soon after being nominated to lead the Zanu PF Women’s League, has not made a public appearance since March 8, when she officiated at International Women’s Day commemorations, fuelling speculation that she could be facing serious health problems.
In January, Grace was forced to remain in Singapore after the First Family’s annual holiday, as Mugabe returned home alone.
Grace has missed several local and regional meetings and functions, where her husband was a guest.
Sources said Mugabe could pass through to Asia to see Grace before returning home from Algeria.
COMMENTS
Madam Muchinguri must know that the public has an obvious interest because they pay for First Lady’s trips and other expenses. And did she fail to get medical attention locally?
Rine manyanga hariputirwe. With the husband it started off with cataract explanations.
Sources said Mugabe could pass through to Asia to see Grace before returning home from Algeria.
Who is paying for this trip ??
Mugabe goes to Singapore often in order to deposit money in Singaporean banks that he has stolen from Zimbabwe. He has been doing it for over thirty years. There are several billion US dollars in those banks deposited by him and his corrupt regime. Soon he will lose it all.
Cataracts and appendix operations and we have to go to Singapore for that – or even Dubai. Two things – those operations are a dime a dozen in SA. Why travel at Government expense thousands of kilometers at Government expense to have them done?
There are a couple of things here, namely –
* medical services in Zimbabwe deteriorated to such an extent that these type of operations cannot be done in Zimbabwe anymore;
* instead of saving money in view of the near bankrupt Government, massive travelling and subsistence cost attached to the treatment are just being disregarded and the Treasury further looted;
* there is no problem in spreading lies about the nature of the treatment given.
There are two problems in not going to SA for treatment – namely the dread of dictators about safety – there are many Zimbabwe staff working in local hospitals and the dictator and his family fears nothing more than being exposed to such people. Then there is a real other problem – the true nature of treatment may become known.
So better lie and spend millions.
I thought Grace was the successor not the predecessor as the writer erroneously put it.Oppah held the post before Grace , hence she is the forerunner .
“… There is nothing wrong with her going out of the country for check-ups.” said Muchinguri
Surely, there is everything wrong if a whole First Lady has to shuttle in & out of the country – at the taxpayers’ expense – just for a “mere check up”. For, all we know zanu pf has always of 34 years of resounding success – and shamelessly citing education, health care, agric, etc as their key success stories. How then can it not be an issue when the same zanu pf bigwigs practically denounced their own health care system as useless & unworthy to attend to them when they are sick?