via Grace Mugabe hammers police 06/10/2014
GRACE Mugabe has hit out at the police, telling them to stop harassing struggling vendors.
Cops, she added, must pay for goods like everyone else instead of organising raids in order to grab freebies when they ran out of tomatoes at home.
The First Lady picked out a popular target in the police Monday as she continued her countrywide star rallies which will take her to all the country’s ten provinces – something nobody else in the ruling Zanu PF party ever does apart from her husband, President Robert Mugabe.
Addressing supporters at her latest campaign stop in Gweru, Grace said it was hard enough for vendors to try and put food on the table for their families in a difficult economy, adding the police must stop making their plight worse.
“They are being chased away like people who are mentally challenged. The police should engage women and talk this thing out. Women are being troubled by your actions of chasing them away whenever they want to sell their goods.”
She then attacked the police culture of demanding freebies, telling them that they draw salaries from the government and must pay their way like everybody else.
Vendors across the country regularly get raided by police for allegedly operating in non-designated areas and all manner of alleged offences. Their wares are seized during the raids and never returned.
“They say police officers don’t want to pay for anything, they just organise a raid if they want tomatoes and onions,” said the First Lady.
“That is what I heard. Stop doing that. This is not how it’s done in business. We have never refused to sell to you. Pay for the goods because you are paid salaries.”
“It is not good to take people’s goods when they are trying to fend for their families. It is not easy to bring food on the table for our families.”
Zimbabweans have watched with interest as a woman previously dismissed as a rather extravagant consort to the president – but no more – curiously causes waves in the wrangling ruling party.
She has been nominated for, and is certain to take-over, as head of the party’s Women’s League and, with that, a seat in Zanu PF’s powerful politburo.
Few however, believe that to be the full sum of her political ambitions.
Zanu PF is bitterly divided over who will succeed Mugabe, the veteran leader weighed down by poor health and age, having turned 90 this year.
But analysts say Grace is now a factor in the succession stakes but what her precise game plan and ultimate goal remains to be seen.
COMMENTS
…“That is what I heard. ….” She added: “Stop chasing away women. Just tell them to operate from market stalls if they are operating at undesignated points.
Noteworthy, is the fact that the First Lady is in fact a visitor to Zimbabwe given her open acknowledgement of her lack of knowledge of the daily realities most Zimbabweans face everyday. She openly declares that she is simply commenting on hearsay “That is what I heard.” So, this is our caring mother who doesn’t know what’s happening in the country, heee?
Doors are closed for any zpf member to campaign now until the central committee says so .Why is she allowed to do so? Are rules applied differently to different people?. Why are party members allowing this type of oppression?
done deal, zim is condemned to a long future of incompetence, ignorance, lies and deceit! Grace is the new boss and whilst she might not have the title as PM she will be the string puller in the background. ha ha ha ha pathetic really
Most people me included are coming to the realisation that Grace has been running the country late i.e. we are late to the party. All Grace is doing now is showing her cards all this faction thing has been her doing and while people credit Munangangwa and Oppah they are missing the point. Oppah and Grace were directed by Mugabe to get along remember there is history in this triangle Oppah, Robert Mugabe and Grace
Grace president, Oppah vice president, Munangagwa vice president, Gono PM (senior minister) watch this space. Hanzi hazviite kuti someone without the surname Mugabe become the first female president that is what the first family agreed
I now want to think Grace will become president or at least vice president and then die. No its not a wish its my own line of thinking.
hypocrite .
She has just sacked 70 odd workers.
earlier she evicted villagers from their homes .
now she pretends to care
If she cares she should just disappear take her old husband with her and leave us alone
vile woman
These ZRP are her own private security. What on earth is she going on about?
I don’t think Grace is running the country. I think she is running a faction of Zanu. As I have said before at the moment Zimbabwe is like a Rudderless ship. In other words a country without direction. The country is also politically rudderless. Everybody is looking after themselves. The Captain continues to snooze waking up occasionally to divert to an unplanned destinations. He looks east and directs the ship there and is soon asleep. When he awakens he looks west, changes and looks east towards the rocks Never does he look up to see the storms brewing. It is a just a matter of time before the ship hits into an iceberg or rocks. Hopefully there will be others to salvage the wreck.
I have said before and I say it now, the really head of zim is Grace. She has been operating in the shadows for a considerable period. But now she needs people to know the truth. Mugabe has long since lost relevance. He is now a garden boy while she chooses who amongst her many male friends will take turns to service her away from home. I am more than inclined to believe that some of the bodyguards have tasted the hidden fruits.
There are a lot of very worried people in Zimbabwe. Knives are drawn and everybody has their backs against the wall fearing backstabbing. The signs that we talked about are starting to manifest themselves. Those like Public Protector aka Murimi Wahasi aka Apolitical are silent and confused. They don’t know what to do or where to support, so they shiver and shake. Grace is trying to protect her way of life as she watches her husband age. She strikes out like a wounded snake at anyone near her. Oppah has never harboured any ambitions other than the protection of the Party which seems ready to tear its self apart. Munangagwa and co still say it’s time to pay the piper. Problem is some in that party would like to see the piper destroyed. Hutu and co continue to watch and wait.
She must know that trading is legal only when in designated places according to council by laws. However these illegal vendors are in the streets trying to make living simple because Grace’s husband has ruined the economy to the extend that there is not way of living for these vendors. The police are raiding simple because they have got no money to buy these basic necessities because life is very hard for them simple becaues Grace’s husband has ruined their livehood by making professional police force beggars due to poor salaries emermaneting from low revenues collected by government due to poor economic policies of Grace’s husband.
bruce Koffee good analysis.
I am really impressed with @Hutu’s analysis of what is about to happen.Your thoughts are of the Tutsi type not of a Hutu.
It is difficult for me to support the police in any way because they make a lot of money by false means,therefore they do not deceive respect from the masses.She is right to run them down for their evil actions.These are the same people who beat the WOZA ladies for holding peaceful demonstrations.Your personal integrity should not be dependent on how huge your salary is.If you are a professional person you respect your job and not to use it for corruption activities.
I am happy that at least we have somebody within the ruling party who is brave enough to expose these people who have over stayed in government as if they are irreplaceable.I pray that she makes them dance and worried because she in unpredictable in her style.Let them panic and look for cover maybe they will realise that God is fair to all his people.I really do not care who takes over as long as some of these bigwigs taste the suffering we have experienced over the years.
It is not difficult to put food on the Mugabe family table. Grace only shops for clothes. Food just turns up. It is hypocracy of the heighest order for the chief wealth grabber along with her hubby and Gono and Mpofu to say they also have difficulties feeding their families!!!!! Also, it is worth noting that police raid vendors – not only femail ones. Having said this, police should not steal from vendors. They must realise that there not enough designated vending space as almost everyone in the country has been reduced to vending. Weman, buy this deluded woman’s story at the peril of all!! Be worned!!!!!
It is not difficult to put food on the Mugabe family table. Grace only shops for clothes. Food just turns up. It is hypocracy of the heighest order for the chief wealth grabber along with her hubby and Gono and Mpofu to say they also have difficulties feeding their families!!!!! Also, it is worth noting that police raid vendors – not only femail ones. Having said this, police should not steal from vendors. They must realise that there are not enough designated vending space as almost everyone in the country has been reduced to vending. Weman, buy this deluded woman’s story at the peril of all!! Be worned!!!!!
Anyting is possible. Wat about if Dr G Mugabe becomes president and rules the country very well. Anyting is possible. A leader needs to listen an be on the ground to c for themselves. A leader do not hv official visits to services delivery areas. Just visit unannounced and u c the truth .walk on foot and u will c potholes an vendors. Go an buy from a tuckshop an u will feel the true price of a good. Pple want a leader not a Master.