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First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe (second from left) flanked by Women’s League boss Cde Oppah Muchinguri, Cde Ednah Madzongwe and Cde Olivia Muchena sing in Mazowe where a proposal was made for her to lead the Women’s League yesterday. (Picture by Tawanda Mudimu).

Herald Reporter
The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Collaborators Association says it made the proposal for the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe to be appointed the Zanu-PF Women’s League secretary because she works hard for the party. ZILWACO was the first to suggest that the First Lady take the position and sold the idea to other members of the Women’s League.

Speaking at Amai Mugabe’s Children’s Home in Mazowe, where thousands of Women’s League members converged yesterday and recommended that the First Lady take over the position, ZILWACO deputy chairperson Cde Josephine Gandiya said they made the initial proposal after observing that Amai Mugabe was already involved in party activities.

She said they took into consideration the way she helped President Mugabe campaign for the 2013 harmonised elections.
“We proposed this, we took the matter to the Women’s League and the Women’s League had the same views,” said Cde Gandiya. “Our first First Lady (Amai Sally Mugabe) was in politics and things were moving well.

“The First Lady (Amai Mugabe) works hard and we want her to work hard from inside. When we first proposed it to her, she was hesitant, but we continued pursuing and she advised us to consult the Women’s League.”

Deputy Secretary for the Women’s League Cde Eunice Sandi Moyo said: “It is true President Mugabe appoints for this position, but hatisi kudherera baba, tirikukumbira.”

The Secretary for Information and Publicity in the Women’s League, Cde Monica Mutsvangwa, said Amai Mugabe had demonstrated her political expertise.
“We are a revolutionary party, we want our own mother leading the women,” she said. “We see a lot of divisions if we had this discord during the liberation struggle we will not have liberated this country.

“We need to move together and this is what the Women’s League is saying. She is the mother of the nation and she has demonstrated her political expertise.”
War veteran and representative for Makoni South in the National Assembly Cde Mandy Chimene said the appointment of Amai Mugabe to head the Women’s League was long overdue.

“This is a development which we were waiting for as war veterans,” she said. “When we came from the struggle, Amai Sally Mugabe took the chair of the Women’s League there were no squabbles. When Amai went due to natural causes, people started fighting.
“Amai Muchinguri has done her best, but we have held her on the same position for too long. For Mai Muchinguri to see the President she needed an appointment, Amai Mugabe does not need an appointment and the system is back on track.”

Mrs Tsitsi Sekeramayi, who represented ministers’ spouses at the event, said Amai Mugabe deserved to lead the Women’s League.
“I always say the woman is the root of any family,” she said. “Just like the tap root is important for plants’ growth, so is the woman. It is because of that that we believe that our mother (Amai Mugabe) should assume the position.”

Representative of women provincial chairpersons, Cde Shylet Uyoyo from Masvingo, welcomed the recommendation.
“We support the appointment of Amai Mugabe and also the Presidium of the party,” she said. “We believe as the mother of the nation, she should lead us.”
The event was attended by veteran Women’s League members, female legislators and ministers’ spouses.