We are not fools, Grace warns Lacoste

They call me Mazowe Crush … First Lady Grace Mugabe

After fronting the assault on former Vice President Joice Mujuru and her lieutenants in 2014 and in the aftermath of the Zanu PF congress that year, Grace now says “we made a mistake”.

She was adressing a rally in Chiweshe Friday.

“In 2014 we went around denouncing factionalism but what we did not know was that we were empowering the other. So, we are saying to the other faction; Stop It. Many people go around calling me Mazoe Crush.

“I cannot then go around and claim I do not know what that means. This is the problem with our colleagues. There are children being paraded in apparel embroidered with the words Team Lacoste. They claim it is a French clothes brand,” the First Lady said.

“They think we are fools and that we do not know. When they are asked what that means they claim not to know”.

Team Lacoste is the moniker describing a faction of Zanu PF reportedly led by Mnangagwa who was the greatest beneficiary of Mujuru’s demise. After his elevation into the presidium at the 2014 Zanu PF congress, it seemed nothing would stop him. Media reports in the past two years have however indicated Grace was now leading a new faction code named Generation 40 (G40), that includes Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko.

Mphoko also took the chance to twist the knife in as the factional war was taken to Mnangagwa’s doorstep.

“There is nowhere in the constitution where it says the country was liberated by a Ndebele, Karanga or Zezuru. The constitution says the country was liberated by Zapu and Zanu. So, what we are hearing now that since Mugabe is Zezuru, the next should be a Karanga is misplaced. It will not succeed…

“In the Bible Satan had a beautiful voice but he was not satisfied. He wanted to be God, because of that he fell by the wayside,” Mphoko said.

Grace added; “The baton will be given to those who keep their places, those who keep quiet.” There were shouts of “vaguta kuchengetwa” (they have overstayed their welcome) to which Grace responded, “they have overstayed indeed”.

Zanu PF national commissar Saviour Kasukuwere was not to be outdone. After Grace patted him on the back for “doing a good job and do not let anyone stop you” it was the chubby Local Government minister’s turn.

He warned, “It is not bareknuckle fight. We are coming to the Midlands, Mashonaland East and Masvingo. You stopped women from coming to welcome the President claiming it was a Kasukuwere plot. Now we are coming for you,” he ranted.