#mugabe seethes as wife refused EU visa

via Mugabe seethes as wife refused EU visa 25/03/2014 NewZimbabwe

THE EU has not invited Grace Mugabe to the fourth EU-Africa Summit in Belgium next week, in a development that appears to have angered President Robert Mugabe’s top aides.

Presidential spokesman, George Charamba, hinted that Zimbabwe would consider skipping the meeting over the First Lady’s exclusion.

Mugabe, who turned 90 this year and is reportedly suffering from failing health, normally travels with his wife on most trips abroad.

Hinting at how important she has become in his life, Mugabe described Grace as his “caretaker” while celebrating his 90th birthday at a grand party held in Marondera last month.

“I am 90 years not alone. I am 90 years with her. She has been the caretaker, the provider, the sustainer, the lover. So we don’t forget her when we celebrate,” said the veteran leader.

Mugabe’s remarks possibly explain Charamba’s outrage over the EU’s refusal to grant his wife a visa.

Charamba told the Herald newspaper: “It is very strange that the EU has not extended an invitation to the First Lady.

“What God has put together the EU is trying to separate. Do they expect the President to respect the EU and disrespect his own marriage?”

“I am aware there is a position of the AU regarding participation and that there are preparatory meetings between the EU and AU over African cases which have arisen over the problematic list of invitations.”

He added that the government would stand guided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the issue.

However, EU ambassador to Zimbabwe, Aldo Dell’Ariccia, explained that only those with a role to play in the meetings had been invited.

“We have invited those with a role to play in the meetings and the programmes of the meetings do not have any role for spouses,” he said.

“Since she is under restrictive measures the host country (Belgium) has to seek a green light from the EU for her to attend. The EU has to reach a consensus but in this case that has not happened.”

The EU lifted its sanctions against Zimbabwe this year but maintained its travel and other restrictions against Mugabe, his wife and the State-owned Zimbabwe Defence Industries.

COMMENTS

WORDPRESS: 11
  • comment-avatar
    Rudadiso 11 years ago

    Honestly this is just so petty. Zimbabwe is a nonentity in these maters and Mugabe would not be missed.

  • comment-avatar
    zvichanaka 11 years ago

    I love this! What a slap in the face to our dear Dictator.

    • comment-avatar
      John Steele 11 years ago

      The old man is senile and sleeps through these waste of time talk shops!

  • comment-avatar
    Mlimo 11 years ago

    Hey graceless go shopping in Malaysia or Singapore or are you getting tired of rice? And no we don’t want you shopping in the hated and despised west. Next time tell your despised husband to keep his mouth closed when criticising the west.what goes around comes around.

  • comment-avatar
    Fallenz 11 years ago

    Poor little prostitute being mistreated…

    Never, ever forget the wealth she has personally soaked out of the people.

    She’s kinda pretty, considering her age… but pure evil.

  • comment-avatar
    mark longhurst 11 years ago

    this is the best laugh we have had in years, she should be restricted form leaving a longdrop let alone entry into any sane country

  • comment-avatar
    Smart Talk 11 years ago

    Ko madiniko kusara muchimanager kugadzirwa kweGame Park new one iyo. Inga makaoma. Asi hadzichina value here kuChina kwamaida kudziendesa. Vana veZimbabwe are not important because of your greedness. I hope muchafa nguva imwe chete nekamudhara kako ikako coz uchaona moto.

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    The Truth. 11 years ago

    Yaaah, good for you. Seethe as much as you like, over the EU refusing you gukurahundi wife a shopping trip. We are aLso still seething over our innocent dead Mthwakazi villagers whom you gukurahundied in cold blood; and you continue even to this day to refuse us space to mourn or observe a day of prayer for our loved ones.

    Go to hell, you can seethe as much as you want – youR gukurahundess is not going to Europe, PERIOD YOU DWARF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • comment-avatar
    UMAARI 11 years ago

    If Mugabe is absent from the summit what is the use of the agenda of the summit!!

    • comment-avatar

      Well, the AU were going to boycott if the EU didn’t invite him. Now they have invited him, whether he attends or not, the meeting can go ahead. For a quiet life, I would suggest his aides just tell him attended next time he wakes up from a nap – dementia will fill in the blanks.

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    UMAARI 11 years ago

    Hey Tom, i see EU accepted the condition because they are hungry, we never revenge as they did over us due to cousins, they are the offspring of Yavis Bin NOAH and we are the offspring of HAM BIN NOAH yet Mugabe can’t trust them because they are flexible like crocodile which can hunt both edge side, the mouth and the tail, so the importance of the summit is AU not EU whose land is snow blessed nothing to eat; Africa can do without EU!!!