The Sunday News
Meluleki Moyo
LIKE many Zimbabweans, I saw her as a down-to-earth First Lady. I never knew she was such a go-getter, a fearless woman of substance with a traceable record of charity and community work, among a plethora of other qualities.
However, after she attained her Doctorate from the University of Zimbabwe, and her rise to lead the Women’s League of the ruling party Zanu-PF, the private and international media uproar acted as a spur to my wanting to know more about this flying doctor. So amazing were my findings.
The word grace is derived from the Greek given name charis, which in Greek is further related to chairo, which means to rejoice. The word came to signify favour, goodwill and loving kindness, especially when it trickles from the privileged to the less privileged.
In Christian theology, grace is something representing the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it. Growing up in a Christian family, through the teachings I got during my days as an Adventurer, a Pathfinder and a member of the Senior Youth, I have been taught to live in Biblical ways. As a consequence, I engage the Bible in each and every situation which confronts me. For, according to my late grandmother Maria, a verse from the Bible each day would keep the devil away.
A number of verses in the Bible allude to the acts of grace. My eyes rested on Mathew 25: 35-36 (NIV) which reads, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” These are acts of grace, love and compassion.
This precisely explains Amai Grace Mugabe’s acts of grace. Her engagement in philanthropic work and charity have by and large alleviated pain and suffering of the less privileged, marginalised and downtrodden. As the nation languishes in this economic prison, cast in by the illegal sanctions imposed by the West, Amai Mugabe has visited and continues to visit the entire nation through her “Meet the people” tours.
By making reference to her as “Amai”, I am not attempting or intending to denounce my parentage but I am being precise and to the point, using a title she deserves for the role she plays, unperturbed, for the Zimbabwean family. Amai Grace Mugabe is determined to work for the people.
In her “Meet the people” tours, she has always stuck to the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset), and is in line with the main clusters of the economic blueprint which include Food Security and Nutrition, Social Services and Poverty Eradication, Infrastructure and Utilities and Value addition and beneficiation, because she knows the people are waiting. The rain season is upon us and already, she has started to give Zimbabweans maize seed and equipment to use in their fields, including tractors and fuel.
In Dr Grace Mugabe, there is a determined woman, a hard worker and a go-getter. She puts effort in everything she does. Her character will not be complete without the mention of the words ‘‘courage and determination’’. In 2014, she earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Zimbabwe. So amazing was the achievement, to an extent that, out of about 13 students who graduated with PhDs, all eyes rested on her. The University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor, Professor Levi Nyagura, from an academic point of view, later described her as a woman of
tremendous skill,of intellectual intelligence, spiritual intelligence and emotional intelligence including empathy, compassion, love and grace. No wonder why President Robert Mugabe has been so steadfast, there is a determined, fearless woman behind him. Indeed, behind the success of every man, there is a strong woman.
Leading by example, she has cultivated in us, the essence of hard work. She owns a dairy farm, among other world-class projects, driven by determination, where the produce is channelled towards the needy. The former Ghanaian First Lady, Mrs Rawlings aptly described Amai Grace Mugabe’s projects and vision as phenomenal, citing that it takes courage, passion and patriotism for one to fully serve his or her country in this manner.
Dr Grace Mugabe runs an orphanage in the Mazowe area where she redefines the word “life” to a multitude of disadvantaged orphans from all walks of life. She also patrons the Danhiko project. Regardless of her supportive and pivotal role in the project, to show her selfless character, the project is not named after her. The project considers people living with disabilities, making them realise that disability does not mean inability. In line with this, annual Paralympic games are held whereby the disabled get a chance to shine. Added to this, her charitable work extends to other centres housing the disabled, the disadvantaged and the less privileged countrywide.
In 2014 she embarked on a nationwide tour whereby she went around the country meeting people, listening to their plights and taking the plights to the people’s President, Cde Robert Mugabe. She continues to do this and she does it well. I took my time and travelled in the direction of the wind to Binga to attend one of her “meet the people” rallies recently. Elderly women struggled to hold back tears as they listened to her address. A touching moment. Living to expectations, in line with her promotion of self-sufficiency and hard work, the First Lady launched an irrigation scheme, and donated food parcels to the Binga community. What else would you expect from a mother? Later that memorable day, Binga erupted in song, even the elderly Tonga women, stood up and shook off old age, a clear indication that Binga had been graced by a saviour.
Through her nationwide tours, Dr Grace Mugabe has redefined the revolution, castigated corruption, demanded an end to divisions and called for transparency. I have always admired that aspect of originality possessed by yesteryear’s artists. Their works were to a colossal magnitude, from a Christian perspective, prophetic. At this moment, it has just dawned what Simon Chimbetu meant when he took the song Kusina Mai Kunerima to the studio.
