As I ponder the events of the past month, I am reminded of a saying “Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad”, attributed to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in a line from his 1975 poem “The Masque of Pandora”.
BY MAUREEN GOMBAKOMBA
And it is also about the former First Lady Grace Mugabe who is suffering this fate and her example tells us the people, that at least: don’t screw with the gods; it’s so not worth it.
While some first ladies choose to keep a low profile, Grace Mugabe concerned herself with the task of adding color to the premier office of the country and along the way, she managed to perform acts that continue to flummox even long after they have been carried out, acts I would refer to as ‘political madness’.
Once a sedate figure, known for her charity work, in 2014 Grace slowly unveiled herself as a potential successor to her husband Robert Mugabe. Amai Mugabe became head of the ruling party’s women’s league, a position that gave her a seat.
In the ZANU-PF politburo. The state propaganda machine began taking up her political ‘madness’ and she became known for her sharp tongue whilst attacking and ousting political opponents to her husband’s presidency at ZANU-PF rallies.
In October 2014 Grace launched sustained verbal attacks against Joice Mujuru, the then Vice President of Zimbabwe accusing her of plotting to topple the president. Whilst addressing Zanu PF supporters in Bindura, Grace said, “I said to the President, do you know what baby dumping is? And he said yes. And then I said we want you to dump the person presiding over factionalism like a baby gets dumped. If you don’t dump, we will. We will do baby dumping because this [factionalism] divides the party”. Suddenly Grace became someone else one couldn’t recognize, uncouth and unbecoming as the ‘political madness’ heightened.
Sometime in February this year at a rally in Buhera, Amai Mugabe reiterated that her husband would run in next year’s elections even as a corpse. The lunatic nature of this statement is unparalleled and is something that the writers of Walking Dead are probably kicking themselves for not coming up with.
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Grace Mugabe’s unbecoming was so consummate that she took her ambitions to ludicrous ends. In another speech in July this year she accused Fortune Chasi, then deputy Minister of In my opinion, the meaning of this phrase is a warning to those who go ‘mad’ and as reassurance to those who might be victims of the mad. The meaning of the term ‘mad’ in this specific phrase is not mad as we know it, rather it refers to unreasonable behavior, when someone deliberately goes out of their way to make life insufferable for others around them chiefly those who may have less authority than them.
Justice, of trying to incite people to repel her claim to a farm in Mazowe, Amai Mugabe said: “I might have a small fist, but when it comes to fighting, I will put stones inside to enlarge it. Don’t doubt my capabilities”.
Such sentiments indeed exceed the assumed limits of madness. Her last straw was her latest attack on Emmerson Mnangagwa, the then Vice President in which she said the following, “Ndamuudza kuti iwewe Mnangagwa unofunga kuti unoziva President hauvazive, you don’t know that man. Mnangagwa wajaira wajaira tinokudonedza mangwana chaiye.” Such words coming from a country’s First lady are unacceptable and when one becomes ‘politically mad’
they cause as much muddle as they can within their surroundings,
causing commotion and confusing straight forward systems. At this point in time, Grace felt like she was invincible and as if her actions had no consequences. Amai Mugabe’s, destruction was closely in tow of her mad behavior, it appears that what invoked her destruction was actually her mad behavior, and the Gods let her go as mad as she could so that when her destruction time came, she would be well cooked for it.
Her case is much like fattening a cow before slaughtering it; this is usually to ensure that the cow is well- prepared and will be succulent when consumed. And indeed Grace Mugabe’s end is quite juicy and will perhaps be for a long time.
On a biblical note, It is stated from Proverbs 11:10 that When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness. In brief this teaches us to be careful of our actions, because they have a bearing on ourselves, because they appeal to the spiritual kingdom to retort to us, be it positively or negatively. Whichever the case is at this moment Zimbabweans are and ought to be celebrating. Elections are due to be held in the first half of next year. And it is every Zimbabwean’s responsibility to ensure this provides an opportunity for us all to decide our future and usher in an accountable democracy.
After all, “Iwe neni tine basa”
To sum it all the saying, “Those whom God wishes to destroy, he first makes mad”, does seem to have a huge semblance of truth, in so far as it suggests that people in power are often responsible for their own downfall in so far as they become ‘mad’ in the sense of blind to the obvious. It was going to be extremely unfair for Grace to just be at the helm of madness at the expense of the nation. It is a shameful and embarrassing end of the former first family’s reign whilst the world is watching.
This must also be a warning to all the first ladies, stop involving yourselves in leadership struggles. STOP IT!
Maureen Gombakomba writes in her own capacity.
As I conclude, I am quite sure no-one likes a madman and no-one wants to become one and this is what we will want to avoid fellow Zimbabweans.
