By Bernard Bwoni
The realm of politics and policy-making,
just like any society, is intricate and unpredictable. It has its fair share of
those who exist just for the sake of protraction (just to breath air, but make no
difference to society) and on the other end of the scale those people who make
things happen and make noticeable differences to the lives of others. The
latter group possess that cutting edge trademark and those pacesetter attributes
that the former group is clearly deprived of. These are the movers and shakers
who have the undeniable gift of pragmatic influence and a people-centred genetic
make-up. These are the individuals who walk the ground and at the same time
listen to the sounds the ground they walk on makes. They hear and feel the
grassroots, they get the basics and they speak the dialect of their environment
and duet with the soul and systems that surrounds them. They seek no glory or
reputation but rather that commitment for the greater good of society. In
Zimbabwe, men of mettle and women of weight are among us, those who inspire and
constantly remind us of the higher purpose of society. They seek no praise or
worship but only to refocus society’s thrust on pertinent issues that affect
the grassroots. Dr Grace Mugabe easily falls within
the ranks of the non-theoretical craftswoman of action, a charming, confident,
charitable and very normal First Lady of meaning.
The First Lady, Dr Grace Mugabe
by virtue of being the wife of President Mugabe (an African Icon) has had to
blaze trails, suffer trials and tribulations. She has been labelled all manner
of despicable names but she has remained true to her core values and beliefs.
She has dedicated her life to things that gives meaning and purpose to others, possess
attributes strikingly similar to her husband and hence the negative onslaught
to stifle her progressive national pursuits. The Zimbabwe First Lady is driven,
focused, committed, not easily deterred or distracted just like President
Mugabe himself and those are the hallmarks of nation builders. She lays it on
the table as it is and that is refreshingly different and endears her even to
those opposed to her. The issues she brings to the forefront, most people
certainly agree with her, but many are constrained and restricted by their
misinformed perception of the woman behind the words. There are heated debates
going on Social Media sites on certain issues Dr Mugabe has raised recently and
you often hear statements like “I don’t like the woman but I completely agree
with what she has said about the girl child and marriage” or “I know I don’t
often agree with Grace Mugabe but it is refreshing the way she has exposed
corruption”. The fact of the matter is that any statement she makes triggers
debate that cut across political divides. You have those in the opposition
ranks privately agreeing with her and publicly slaying her for political
mileage. The bottom line though is that people do listen when the First Lady
speaks and it gets them thinking and hence the many news headlines that follow
after every address she makes. It is this sense of meaning and purpose in the
First Lady’s presence that intrigues the nation and the world.
Dr Grace Mugabe has never made
any claims to perfection and true to fact no one in this world can claim
stewardship to such. In one of her addresses Dr Mugabe said this with her usual
honesty and refreshing honesty “I am not a person who is afraid to ask, I
always ask the President when I am not sure about anything”. People who shape
the world have a compassionate heart, and they see and learn to better equip
themselves to serve. She has been right down on the ground and taking time to
support and care for disadvantaged children. In one of her addresses Dr Mugabe
highlighted that she has over 88 children at the children’s home she runs and when
you read newspaper news article that paint the picture of self-absorption it
just does not make any sense. The Grace Mugabe Foundation does a lot of charity
work in Zimbabwe and it is unfortunate that international media sources are
awash with falsehoods and misleading narratives about the First Lady. One of
the many reasons why the First Lady’s addresses and statements engross the
nation is because of the potent content and the fact that they focus on issues
that are dear to most people’s hearts. Those are the issues that affect people
in their day-to-day lives. She has a practical awareness of the links with the
grassroots and how to connect with people right down to the basics of life and
living in society. She is not restricted by the pretentions of politics hence
why she is not afraid to be who she really is. She is authentic, she holds
views that resonate with many and she does not settle for conformity just for
the sake of it. The First Lady is passionate about her charity work and about
the country, her actions and words are from the heart and there is a level of
respect she accords the people of Zimbabwe.
The First Lady, in her
addresses, is uniquely blunt to the point of being miles away from all correctness
yet she leaves no stone unturned. She does not seek to preserve reputations nor
does she seek to garner a reputation but rather displays an unparalleled commitment
to ‘serve the people’. If one listens to most of her addresses, her key words
are often about the people ahead of all else. In her recent address in Kadoma, she
was talking about “the leadership we want, leaders who know they are servants
of the people”.
Many speak about ZimAsset the
document, but few focus on the actual technicalities of implementation. Dr Mugabe
recently pointed out “For ZimAsset to work, we must work, we are the foot
soldiers”. The key to the implementation of ZimAsset is to break the programme
down to its bare basics and then roll it top down to the people. The economic blueprint
is an excellent but complex document that needs to be simplified at the
implementation phase. Zimbabwe has an educated population and
possibly the best-educated people on the African continent and that is a
crucial resource for national development. The First Lady complemented that by stating,
“We are educated enough, but we have to deliver, we have to work, we have to
grab the opportunities and run-off with these opportunities”.
ZimAsset is not going to
miraculously register successes without the collective strength of the people
of Zimbabwe that will see the economic blueprint through. The collective
strength of a unit is far much stronger than the individualistic spirit that
has of recent pervaded our society. As Dr Grace Mugabe rightly put it, “there
are elements in the country who are retrogressive, as Zimbabweans we have to be
positive, progressive and we have to put emphasis on working”. The number of
times the First Lady mentions the word ‘work’ in her addresses clearly shows a
woman who is committed to seeing Zimbabwe moving and moving forward. What
Zimbabwe is presenting to her citizens are opportunities currently camouflaged
by challenges and as Dr Grace Mugabe rightly said, now is the time to seize
those opportunities and run away with them.
bernardbwoni.blogspot.com
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