Grace Mugabe ‘Insignificant To Zanu-PF’

Nick Mangwana, a Zanu-PF representative in the UK, has told the BBC’s World Update programme that he has also received reports that First Lady, Grace Mugabe, is no longer in the country.

Earlier an opposition politician said she had fled to Namibia.

But Mr Mangwana said that in terms of Zanu-PF politics, Mrs Mugabe was now an insignificant player, adding that she was a “junior member of the party” and only had power by virtue of being President Robert Mugabe’s wife.

She took a higher position than she should have.”

The first lady had been angling to become vice-president, and now she was out of the way Zanu-PF could hold a party congress without any interference, he said.

He admitted it was not normal for the army to take power in a democracy, but he said there had been nothing normal about the situation in Zimbabwe.

We have 93-year-old president that is not usual, we do not have our own currency.”

But he said officially President Mugabe was still in charge as the military had not suspended the constitution and the country still had civilian government.

He said the president even chaired the cabinet as normal yesterday.