Mugabe Dozes Off While Grace Roasts Charamba
As President Robert Mugabe’s wife, Grace took presidential spokesperson George Charamba down a peg or two before a stunned Zanu PF crowd and a television audience Saturday, one man who could have missed the spectacle is the veteran leader himself who is pictured above seemingly enjoying an afternoon snooze. Grace was shouting the information ministry […]
As President Robert Mugabe’s wife, Grace took presidential spokesperson George Charamba down a peg or two before a stunned Zanu PF crowd and a television audience Saturday, one man who could have missed the spectacle is the veteran leader himself who is pictured above seemingly enjoying an afternoon snooze.
Grace was shouting the information ministry permanent secretary down for allegedly influencing the State media to ignore her philanthropic work while reserving good coverage for others.
It could have been double embarrassment for President Mugabe’s most fierce defender who has previously denied claims the Zimbabwean leader often dozed off during summits.
In attempts to give a spin to the claims, Charamba has said President Mugabe’s apparent sleepy postures would in fact be an attempt by his boss to avoid direct light onto his tired eyes.
But Saturday was one of the chilliest days of the current winter period with neither sunlight nor artificial light at the time to pin the blame on.
With Grace evidently enjoying with gay abandon the misery she was pouring on Charamba, her husband may have also lost an invaluable aide who would usually nudge him back into alertness each time sleep got the better of him.
President Mugabe may also have been the inadvertent target of loyalists after they took turns while chanting party slogans on the podium to repeat the new slogan, "pasi nevanorota vachitonga (down with those who dream of themselves as the country’s rulers)".
The slogan was apparently coined for Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa who is angling to succeed the 93-year-old leader.