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Mutambara rips into ‘disrespectful’ Grace

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ZIMBABWE People First (ZimPF) interim leader Agrippa Mutambara says Zimbabwe’s problems started after President Robert Mugabe’s first wife, Sally, died, before berating First Lady Grace Mugabe for being disrespectful.

ZIMBABWE People First (ZimPF) interim leader Agrippa Mutambara says Zimbabwe’s problems started after President Robert Mugabe’s first wife, Sally, died, before berating First Lady Grace Mugabe for being disrespectful.

BY KENNETH NYANGANI

Ambassador Agrippa Mutambara
Ambassador Agrippa Mutambara

“When President Robert Mugabe started leading us, he was a good leader. But his woes started when Sally Mugabe died,” he said in Mutare at the weekend, while addressing ZimPF provincial party structures.

“We were then given an unrespecting First Lady (Grace Mugabe).”

Sally died in 1992, with Mugabe marrying Grace four years later.

Mutambara accused Grace of training youths to be disrespectful.

The former diplomat said if his party wins the elections next year, they would dump the “Zanu PF privatised” National Heroes’ Acre and construct a new shrine to be called the National Revolutionary Heroes’ Acre.

He said the National Heroes’ Acre had lost its significance and become a private club for Mugabe’s close lieutenants and bootlickers.

“We have our liberation war heroes who are buried at Chimoio shrine, in Zambia and other areas. Why are we failing to rebury our heroes in Zimbabwe? Do we not have a place in Zimbabwe?

“When we are in power, we are going to have a revolutionary heroes’ acre and we are going to take the remains of heroes in several shrines and rebury them. We are not going to do that at the National Heroes’ Acre,” Mutambara said.

“The National Heroes’ Acre has lost its significance. Yes, we understand there are a few true liberation fighters, but most of them now are Mugabe’s family.”

Recently, there was an uproar after former High Court judge, Simpson Mutambanengwe, was denied national hero status by the Mugabe-led government.

Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandiitawepi Chimene was subjected to verbal abuse at Mutambanengwe’s burial just outside Mutare, as relatives protested against the government’s decision to deny him national hero status.