OPPOSITION parties and analysts have demanded that First Lady Grace Mugabe should explain the source of clothes and goodies she and her son Russel Goreraza has been dishing out in large quantities to Zanu PF supporters.
BY MOSES MATENGA
Grace, has of late been staging rallies in different provinces, where she has donated food and clothes, including suits to traditional leaders, a move that has raised the ire of opposition parties, who yesterday queried the source and motive behind the hand-outs.
Goreraza donated 3 000kg of salt, 3 000kg of sugar, 3 000kg of bathing soap and 1 000 litres of cooking oil in Murewa on Saturday, after making almost a similar donation in Mbare and Mberengwa.
Grace gave suits, shoes and shirts to chiefs over and above bicycles for their security personnel.
The First Lady also donated 8 000 litres of cooking oil, 150 tonnes of maize, 105 tonnes of rice, secondhand clothes weighing 3 184kg, maize seed and fertiliser to people in Murewa.
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Among the donations were also soccer kits donated to eight secondary schools in the province.
MDC-T said Zanu PF was not treating people fairly, amid suspicion the goods Grace and her son donated were looted goods.
“It just goes to prove that both Grace and her son, Russell, have an extremely low and contemptuous opinion of the people of Zimbabwe as well as our traditional leaders,” MDC-T spokesperson, Obert Gutu said. He said they were treating people like beggars, who should survive on the benevolence of the First Family.
“This is in extreme bad taste. Zimbabweans are a very proud and hardworking people, who don’t deserve to be treated in such a disgraceful, patronising manner.
“Those groceries are, obviously, looted property. Those people have got absolutely no shame. How can a country be run on hand-outs from the First Family? We are not surprised, however, because dictatorship thrive on the pauperisation of the masses.”
People’s Democratic Party spokesperson, Jacob Mafume said Grace and her son should disclose the source of the goods.
“It is primitive politics, where a leader of a party can donate goodies without disclosing where they come from. We are seeing a worst case of abuse of State resources at an unprecedented rate,” he charged.
“It would appear as if Mugabe and his family destroyed the nation so they could be able to buy things for people. How does a First Lady of a suffering people show so much wealth?”
Political analyst, Takura Zhangazha, described the dishing out of goodies as a strategy to patronise the recipients, describing it as sad for Zimbabwean politics.
“It’s the politics of materialism with the intention of winning hearts and minds of poorer citizens and voters. It essentially means their intention is to move away from value-based politics, to that of patronage. In this case, only those with money or access to vast resources will qualify to be political leaders and it’s a sad development for Zimbabwe politics,” he said.