The First Lady, Amai Grace Mugabe, has disclosed that she is the only person who can speak freely and candidly to the President while dismissing  claims that she is the “strong hand’’ behind most of his political decisions.

Revealing her innermost thoughts and feelings on various issues among them politics, love, parenting and the Zimbabwean woman, the First Lady shared — in an unplanned and spontaneous exclusive interview with The Sunday Mail last week — that she has quite a close relationship with the President who has become her best friend.

“He is my best friend. We are very, very close . . . We talk about a lot of different things and we shout at each other as well. That’s normal, we are normal people. You cannot say in a relationship that you will not anger each other. So it would be a blatant lie if I said we do not fight. We do sometimes, but then we talk and iron out our differences.

“We are human beings . . . It’s only natural. There are things that he might do that I don’t like and I will tell him that. I remind him that I’m the only person who can talk to you like this and he has to listen to me.

“He is not the kind of person who will say ‘listen to me because I’m the President or even because of the age difference’ no . . . I’m not his daughter, I’m his wife. I’m his companion for life.

“We talk a lot. Zvinonzi zviuya hazviwanane, we are very unique people. He is one man who is very clean. I am telling you; he is very clean and I always say thank you God for giving me such a clean man besides the fact that he is very intelligent and he is not a lazy person.

“I am somebody who has an inquiring mind and every time you ask him something, he is willing to articulate on that subject, expand on it. It does not matter what time of day it is. You can ask him, he will make time for you. He is a very wonderful man. He won’t say ‘I am too tired or I have a lot of work to do’. He will never say that.

“I remember just two weeks ago, he had just arrived from a trip, it was late at night and I was writing something and I said to him, ‘I want you to read this for me, please’. I told him ‘I know it’s late, but you have to read it for me because I want to finish it by morning’. So he had to do it and he takes his time. He is very thorough. If he is going to work on a speech, he could have a draft done, but he is going to work on it. Oh, yes, he is a different person.’’'

On claims that she influenced most of the President’s political decisions, Amai Mugabe said: “Nonsense! That’s nonsensical! He is a very intelligent man, please! What you are telling me is that you underestimate my husband. As intelligent as he is . . . You know sometimes when I want to say something to him I am so scared because I know the answers I am going to get.

“When he stands up to speak at any moment, even now, impromptu, if you say, Mr President, make a speech, he will do it amazingly. Are you then saying he carries a tape recorder so that he listens to me first before he speaks? . . . No, do not do this to the President.’’

Last year, there were reports that the President was suffering from an undisclosed ailment and had visited Singapore for treatment. Commenting on that trip and the President’s health, Amai Mugabe said the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces had actually made the trip to Singapore to accompany her after she injured herself in the gymnasium.

“That’s what they say (the President’s alleged ill-health), they say Mr Mugabe is a very old man and this and that, but he is very sound and lucid. Very, very sound, I’m telling you, and very energetic, too.