Is Grace Mugabe on the rebound?

First Lady Grace Mugabe who has been quiet for nearly five months after her disastrous Chiweshe rally came guns blazing yesterday blasting Zimbabwe People First leader Joice Mujuru, former Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front youth leader Togarepi and indirectly former Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo.

Grace, who seemed to be picking up from where she left in  February, seemed to be unrelenting reiterating that she was “mafirakureva” and would tell the truth even if soldiers threatened to kill her.

Her attack on soldiers and war veterans at Chiweshe shut her up for nearly five months following reports that senior army officers told their commander-in-chief, President Robert Mugabe to rein-in his wife unless he supported her public statements.

War veterans also told Mugabe two months later that they only saluted one person, Mugabe. They said party slogans should only be in recognition of the party, the people, Mugabe himself and no one else.

“It was resolved that slogans be done in recognition of the party, the masses, the President of the party and various organs and structures of the party and not directed at any other living individuals within the organs or structures of the party,” the veterans said but Grace yesterday repeated one of the slogans that was at the centre of the resolutions: “Kusina mai hakuendwe”

The First Lady also castigated former youth leader Pupurai Togarepi showering praise on Kudzai Chipanga. She accused Togarepi of sleeping on duty and failing to discipline youths some of whom were challenging their seniors.

Grace, who said the government had set aside 1 700 hectares of land to enable people , especially the youths and women blasted local authorities for destroying people’s houses yet they stood by while people build those houses.

Most of the major urban centres are run by the Movement for Democratic Change but the criticism could also have been aimed at former Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo who served in that ministry for 15 years until last year when he was moved to Home Affairs, rather than at current minister Saviour Kasukuwere who accompanied her to yesterday’s rally.

Kasukuwere is one of the leaders of the G40 faction that supports the First Lady.

Most of the First Lady’s vitriol was, however, shot at former Vice-President Joice Mujuru whom she literally dressed down rubbishing her liberation war credentials and querying why it seemed she was the only woman in her party leadership.

The First Lady told Mujuru to shut up because she had benefitted from what ZANU-PF did during the 34 years that she was in the government.

Mujuru who was expelled from ZANU-PF after accusations that she wanted to topple Mugabe has called on Mugabe to hold fresh elections because he has lost the mandate of the people.

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