Every time I see Grace in the company of her husband, I feel sorry for them both. Mugabe the husband, in his spic-and-span tailor-made British suits, cuts such a different figure from Mugabe the wife – you tend to wonder if the two ever share the same bedroom.
He is formal and acceptable, but she is rebellious and unacceptable. Grace has earned herself a reputation for her multi-coloured, loud, say-whatever-you-like-about-me attire. She easily stands out in a crowd because of her brash colours and she seems to be having the time of her life like that.
I always find it difficult to take Grace seriously because of the manner in which she dresses, and I know am not alone in that regard. I often hear even women pass unflattering comments about the First Lady’s dress taste – never mind the fact that some of her fiercest critics would talk about her no matter what she wore.
These critics are not wives of presidents and that makes a difference. I am always persuaded that a First Lady should be guided by a sense of decorum. She should dress in a way that motivates respect and deference. She should be modest, unassuming and seemly. A First Lady should not compete for attention with her guests and should forestall abhorrent comments every time she hits the podium.
There has to be a difference between Grace and Bona, the daughter, for the latter is not a First Lady and she is still very young. There has to be a difference between Grace and the ordinary lady walking down First Street on a busy Saturday.
I hear that the president is a disciplinarian, and I wonder why he is failing to whip his wife into line. Granted, there could be a generational gap between the two, but as a husband, he should surely do something to make sure that Grace sees sense regarding the colours she ought to wear as a First Lady.
I don’t understand how he manages to still dress in a way that is befitting of a national leader and fails to persuade the wife to do the same. Maybe there is something that I am missing here. Could it mean that Grace is a wayward wife? Could it be that Robert Mugabe is so democratic at home that he would let Grace do whatever she likes, even if he might not like it himself? If that were so, is that genre of democracy good, considering that it tarnishes his wife’s image?
In fact, the manner in which Grace carries herself around unveils a mystery regarding her relationship with Mugabe the husband.
The President’s hatred of dreadlocks is legendary. He has taken every opportunity to tell people who listen that locks look filthy and are despicable. Yet Grace has for a long time been wearing locks for her hairstyle and Mugabe seems powerless to act against that.
Again, is it a case of Grace being the bulldozing wife? Is she that rebellious? Or is he that powerless? Granted, his sister’s son, Patrick Zhuwau, wears twisted hair, but he is only a nephew and not Mugabe’s wife. Why can’t the president say to Grace what he finds easy to tell the “bang-smoking” Jamaicans?
I hold no brief against twisted hair. In fact I find it appealing on some ladies. The problem, though, is that it is not the kind of hairstyle a First Lady should wear – because there is a heavy burden that comes with being the wife of the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
If Grace is trying to make a fashion statement, she should just take to the ramp and forget about being a First Lady. State House is not the place for fashion frenzies.
Granted, Mugabe could be getting old and increasingly unsure about the modern sense of fashion. He could also be too busy with succession issues in Zanu (PF) and how to wiggle out of the GNU to the extent that he might not notice if his wife is wearing boxer shorts or something like that.
Yet there are top women out there who are constantly interacting with Grace. Joice Mujuru, for instance, knows how to dress like a woman leader. Why does she not take Grace outside for a little tête-à-tête?
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Post published in: Opinions & Analysis