She publicly humiliated Mnangagwa, known as the “Crocodile” for his well-honed survival skills. At one political rally, she told supporters that Mnangagwa had to “stop it”. This line became her way of admonishing those she perceived to be trying to take over her husband’s job. She saw plots everywhere.
But by 2017, the Zimbabwean army had enough. Alarmed by Mnangagwa’s sacking as Vice President and Grace’s ever-growing grip on power (if you wanted to get in touch with Mugabe at the time, you had to go through the First Lady’s office), the army put Mugabe and Grace under house arrest.
By November that year, Mugabe had resigned and Grace’s political career had bitten the dust. Now many of the same people she targeted from 2014 are in power and the knives are slowly being sharpened.
But Grace continued to draw controversy. In 2018 she fell foul of South African authorities over the alleged assault of a model in August 2017 with an extension cord. Her diplomatic immunity saved her from prosecution at the time.
Grace denied attacking the model and said she was protecting her son from a “drunken young woman,” according to a 2017 deposition seen by Reuters.
CNN was unable to reach Grace Mugabe for comment.
Once Mugabe’s funeral is over, and the wreaths are taken away, Grace may find herself exposed on all fronts.
Mnangagwa has initiated an anti-corruption commission that has seen several former Mugabe loyalists face investigations. Grace may well be asked to account for the source of her wealth now that Mugabe has gone.
The best solution for Grace now may well be perhaps to live out her days in Singapore, where Mugabe died, and far from the very people she tried to destroy.- CNN
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