President Emmerson Mnangagwa welcomes President … Marry Chiwenga (R) with her husband, Constantino (C), in August 2018. [33] The Mugabes allege that the villa belonged to the Zimbabwean government, while Hsieh, who was once a Mugabe confidant, claims there was no question that the house belonged to him. When security personnel and medical staff intervened, she left the hospital, the documents claim. [42] The awarding of the degree caused a backlash in the Zimbabwean academic community, with some commenting that this could harm the reputation of the university. The situation in rural areas is particularly bad, aid workers in Zimbabwe say, though there is growing evidence of widespread malnutrition in cities too. [25], During her tenure as first lady, Grace Mugabe oversaw the construction of two palaces. She was awarded the degree by her husband and University Chancellor Robert Mugabe. Legislators of the pro-democracy movement urged the Hong Kong government to study whether to follow international practice in barring certain foreign politicians as many people might be looking at buying properties, investments, or education in Hong Kong. Her doctoral thesis was not published in the university archive along with other graduates and she has faced calls to return her PhD. She also acquired property holdings in Hong Kong, including a diamond cutting business and a property at Tai Po, New Territories. HARARE, Zimbabwe -- The wife of Zimbabwe’s vice president has been charged with attempting to kill her husband. [50], Mugabe's reputation for violence and hot temper earned her the nickname of "Dis-Grace" at home. Tawanda Mudimu/The Herald. [22] Soon after Mnangagwa's remarks, President Robert Mugabe called a shock cabinet reshuffle in what many believe to be power-shifting exercise. Robert Mugabe is best known for being a Black nationalist leader and the longtime ruler of Zimbabwe—first as prime minister (1980–87), then as president (1987–2017)—who was pressured by military and political powers to step down amid concerns that he was trying to position his wife… REVEREND Cossam Chiangwa, the president of one of the rival Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) church and his wife were a fortnight ago denied exit to Dubai, on suspicion that their paperwork was not in order, chiefly presentation of alleged fake Covid-19 certificates, Zim Morning Post can reveal. [31] Spokesperson Jiang Yu from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China said she was not aware of the Mugabes' alleged house purchase in Hong Kong and would not comment further. [49] Levi Nyagura, the vice chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe, was arrested in 2018 by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission to be charged with abuse of office following an investigation into the PhD. Grace Mugabe has assumed an increasingly political role in recent years. The intention behind the move was to escape the stress of leadership and to address fears that the first family faces assassination. HARARE, ZIMBABWE -- The wife of Zimbabwe's vice-president has been charged with attempting to kill her husband. [13][14] At the time of their marriage, Grace Marufu was 31 and Robert Mugabe was 72 years old. [36][37] Grace Mugabe is currently[when?] In July she went to the private hospital in Pretoria where he was being treated and told staff to leave her alone with him before disconnecting vital equipment, police allege. It is believed that the couple have been admitted for treatment at Netcare The … Fringe opposition leader, Tinashe Jonasi (42), was on Wednesday dragged to court on charges of undermining President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s authority after he allegedly claimed the Zanu PF leader of “bedding a top politician wife.” Jonasi appeared before Harare magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa and was not asked to plead. [6] She was expelled from the party, with other G40 members, during the 2017 Zimbabwean coup d'état. Grace Mugabe, accused of assaulting a 20-year-old … President Robert Mugabe and wife Grace Mugabe are shown at a rally in Zimbabwe on July 29. [29] IOL news speculated that this property acquisition was intended as both a weekend getaway for their daughter, Bona, who was studying at the University of Hong Kong under an assumed name,[30] and that she and her husband expect to escape to China should they be ousted from power in Zimbabwe. The second was completed in 2007, costing around $50 million. By New Zimbabwe. On 19 November, Grace Mugabe and 20 of her associates were expelled from the ZANU-PF. [28] When Grace Mugabe was included in the 2002 sanctions, one EU parliamentarian said that the ban would "stop Grace Mugabe going on her shopping trips in the face of catastrophic poverty blighting the people of Zimbabwe". Marry Mubaiwa, who is the wife of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, was arrested by Zimbabwe's anti-graft commission on Saturday. She chose the Iron Mask Estate, which had been previously owned by farmers John and Eva Matthews. At the same time, she gained a reputation for privilege and extravagance during a period of economic turmoil in the country. [28] The United States instituted similar restrictions. [55] It is alleged that Grace hit the women and her sons, with an extension cord, causing various injuries including a deep gash on Engels' forehead. Zimbabwe faces a profound economic crisis exacerbated by drought. Marry Chiwenga accused of disconnecting Constantino Chiwenga’s life support machine, Last modified on Mon 16 Dec 2019 19.55 GMT. Grace was nineteen years old at the time. ", "The Palace of President Mugabe of Zimbabwe", "Mugabe's wife to move into white couple's farm", "Mugabe demands vote recount as 'war veterans' arm for battle", "Grasping Grace puts diamond business on her shopping list", "Mugabe's daughter 'studying in Hong Kong, "Why can't Mugabe buy a flat in HK, asks Beijing", "Grace Mugabe, the businessman and the Hong Kong villa", "Hong Kong legal fight heating up over Mugabe luxury villa in New Territories", "Zimbabwe rulers running diamond trade with 'corruption and violence, "Zimbabwe's Political Elite Profited From Gems, WikiLeaks Says", "Regime Elites Looting Deadly Diamond Field", "Wikileaks: Grace Mugabe sues over diamond claims", "The Mugabes and their controversial Hong Kong connection", "Truffle dinners for £190 at the Mugabes' glittering hideaway", "Call for Zimbabwe's Grace Mugabe to return PhD", "Zimbabwe: Grace Mugabe's PhD Scandal Torches Storm", "Zimbabwe's First Lady Grace Mugabe, awarded PhD, two months after enrollment", "Zimbabwe: Grace Mugabe Awarded PhD in Two Months from University where President Mugabe is Chancellor", "The Changing Social Structures and Functions of the Family: The Case of Children's Homes in Zimbabwe", "Arrest made over Grace Mugabe's 'fake' PhD", "Mugabe's daughter studying at HKU under alias", "Mrs Mugabe assaults our photographer outside her luxury Hong Kong hotel", "Zimbabwe's Grace Mugabe due in South Africa court over assault", "Model involved in nightclub 'brawl' before Grace Mugabe alleged assault", "#DisGraceful: Grace Mugabe is a no-show at court", "Grace Mugabe: South Africa grants immunity despite assault claim", "Grace #Mugabe victim threatens revenge - My Harare Times News", "It would be 'unwise' for Grace Mugabe to visit SA again, say legal experts", "JUST IN: SA court overturns immunity for Grace Mugabe in assault case", "Grace Mugabe linked to alleged ivory smuggling in Zimbabwe", "ED signs statutory provision to kick Mugabe family out of Mazowe Dam", Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front, Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army, Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grace_Mugabe&oldid=1000979819, Rhodesian people of South African descent, Zimbabwean people of South African descent, Articles with Chinese-language sources (zh), Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2017, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from January 2018, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 17 January 2021, at 17:42. Constantino Chiwenga, who played a leading role in ousting Robert Mugabe in a military takeover in 2017, has a serious disease of the oesophagus, which has made eating difficult and has required months of hospital treatment. She is accused of illegally transferring almost US$1m (£740,000) overseas to purchase luxury cars and property, and faces additional charges of attempted murder. Marry Chiwenga, a former model and wife of Vice President … [21] The other faction, Lacoste, assumingly led by the Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The construction was funded by the ZANU-PF party to thank Robert Mugabe for his political service. Critics say the commission is highly politicised and its targets are all enemies of senior officials in the government of the president, Emmerson Mnangagwa. Cynthia Goba. [11][12], Whilst working as secretary to the president, Robert Mugabe, she became his mistress at a time when she was still married to Stanley Goreraza – and had two children, Bona born in 1988, named after Mugabe's mother, and Robert Peter Jr.[13]. The rising prices have reminded many of the economic collapse just over a decade ago, when hyperinflation emptied shelves of basic foodstuffs and led the country to abandon its currency. Zimbabwe's former president Robert Mugabe, who was once feted as an independence hero but whose 37-year rule left his country deeply divided and nearly broke, has died at the age of 95. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has been married to his wife Grace for more than 20 years, but the last few months may well have been the most … [38], Grace Mugabe is known for her lavish lifestyle, and Western media has nicknamed her "Gucci Grace". [9] In 1970, she moved to Rhodesia, to live with her mother, Idah Marufu in Chivhu while her father stayed and worked in South Africa to support his family. [20] Since 2016, the first lady's involvement in ZANU-PF in-house politics has seen rumours pointing out that she is fronting one of the party's secretive factions, the G40 (Generation 40). Marry Chiwenga, a former model and wife of Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court on Monday where … [23] When Robert Mugabe died on 6 September 2019, both Mugabes were in Singapore. The spokesman for Zimbabwe's national parks and wildlife agency stated that Mugabe and senior members of her staff had forced parks' officials to sign export permits for ivory pieces during her husband's presidency. Police documents allege that Merry Chiwenga travelled to South Africa with her seriously ill husband in June and attempted to prevent him from seeking medical attention until his security detail intervened. His wife has said she is innocent of any wrongdoing. Ultimately, the accusations against Mujuru resulted in her elimination as a candidate to succeed Mugabe and her effectively becoming an outcast within ZANU-PF by the time it held a party congress in December 2014.[19]. [39][19] The Daily Telegraph called her "notorious at home for her profligacy" in the coverage of a 2003 trip to Paris,[40] during which she was reported as spending £75,000 (approx US$120,000) in a short shopping spree; and in the years leading up to 2004 withdrew over £5 million from the Central Bank of Zimbabwe. In tonight’s edition:G5 Sahel leaders are to meet in France next year to discuss security cooperation. President Robert Mugabe kisses his wife and first lady Grace Mugabe during during the country's 37th Independence Day celebrations at the National Sports Stadium in Harare April 18, 2017. Grace Mugabe was notably invisible at this time with various reports of her whereabouts. The wife of Zimbabwe’s vice-president, Constantino Chiwenga, has been accused of attempting to kill him by disconnecting his life support while he was undergoing treatment in hospital this year. [18], In late 2014, Grace Mugabe was critical of Vice-President Joice Mujuru, who allegedly plotted against her husband, President Mugabe. Zimbabwe: President Mnangagwa's Wife and Son Fingered in Gold Smuggling Syndicate. [13] It was later sold to Muammar Gaddafi of Libya. The country was in heightened tension and soon after that while Emmerson Mnangagwa had sought refuge outside of Zimbabwe, the military took over in a bloodless coup under General Constantino Chiwenga. EX-South African President Jacob Zuma and former first lady Sizakele MaKhumalo Zuma, who is his wife number one are reportedly admitted to hospital after they tested positive for Covid-19. The construction was funded by the ZANU-PF party to thank Robert Mugabe for his political service. Grace Ntombizodwa Mugabe (née Marufu; born 23 July 1965)[2] is an entrepreneur, politician and the widow of the late Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. The president's wife is demanding $15m (£9.6m) from the Standard newspaper. [58] After President Robert Mugabe got deposed by Emmerson Mnangagwa, Gabriella Engels posted a tweet vowing revenge on Grace Mugabe. [54], In August 2017, while visiting South Africa to treat an ankle injury, Grace is said to have assaulted a 20-year-old model, Gabriella Engels, and two friends, who were in the company of her two younger sons, Robert Jr. and Chatunga, at a hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg. She admitted, however, that she was not proficient in Chinese after finishing the degree. The court case and accusations will focus attention once more on Zimbabwe’s opaque political elite, which is frequently accused of graft and incompetent economic management, and on the significant wealth of some individuals. 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