Grace Mugabe plans second round of rallies

via Grace Mugabe plans second round of rallies 10 November 2014

FIRST Lady Grace Mugabe is reportedly preparing for another round of campaign rallies as she seeks to leave no stone unturned in her quest to land the Zanu PF Women’s League top post at the party’s elective congress next month, NewsDay has learnt.

Although the exact dates and venue of the rallies could not be authoritatively established, party insiders said the whirlwind tours were tentatively scheduled to start on November 15.

“The dates and venues are still to be decided, but she would be addressing some more rallies before the Zanu PF December elective congress. The rallies would possibly start on November 15,” said a Zanu PF source who declined to be named.

Just like her previous campaign rallies held last month, where she sensationally accused Vice-President Joice Mujuru of corruption and plotting to unseat President Robert Mugabe, details about the First Lady’s planned rallies and their cost are being kept under wraps.

Her last rallies, which were organised by the Women’s League amid reports that they were heavily funded from State and public entities’ coffers, generated a lot of controversy with party and government officials believed to be aligned to Mujuru’s camp sidelined in the planning process.

Outgoing Women’s League boss Oppah Muchinguri yesterday declined to comment, saying she was in a meeting.

“I don’t want to talk to people these days. I don’t want to be misquoted,” Muchinguri said before she hung up on her mobile phone.

Presidential spokesperson George Charamba’s mobile phone went unanswered.

Grace was nominated to lead the Women’s League in June this year taking over from Muchinguri, before she hit the road running in October when she addressed campaign rallies in all the country’s 10 provinces. Since

then, party members from almost all party structures have formed a beehive to her Mazowe Orphanage Centre in Mashonaland Central to endorse her candidature.

However, Grace last month accused some provincial party leaders among them Ray Kaukonde (Mashonaland East), Amos Midzi (Harare), Callistus Ndlovu (Bulawayo), John Mvundura (Manicaland) and Killian Gwanetsa (Masvingo) of being divisive and fanning factionalism.

She also accused some of the provincial leaders of decampaigning her and mobilizing party youths to heckle her. The majority of these chairpersons have since been booted out by their executive on charges of incompetence and plotting to dethrone the First Family.

The First Lady also openly campaigned for Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is believed to be the leader of a rival faction fighting to succeed Mugabe.

It was during her campaign rallies that deragoratory slogans “Down with Gamatox” and “Down with weevils” became popular before they were banned by the politburo for being divisive.

The slogans were directed at any party member believed to be aligned to the Mujuru camp.

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