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The First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe consoles Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo and his wife Beatrice at their home in Borrowdale, Harare, yesterday. The couple recently lost a daughter, Zanele

Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter
First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe yesterday visited the family of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo, to pay her condolences following the death of his daughter Zanele (20) a fortnight ago in South Africa. Amai Mugabe, who is also zanu-pf Secretary for Women Affairs, had been in China at the invitation of All China Women’s Federation when Zanele died.

She paid tribute to Zanele in the condolence book that she signed at the family’s Borrowdale home: “Zanele, may your soul rest in eternal peace and we know you are with the Lord,” reads the message in the book that was opened since her death.

In an interview after consoling the family, Amai Mugabe said she had heard about the death of Zanele from President Mugabe while she was in China. The First Lady said she had urged Prof Moyo and family that while death was difficult to accept, they had to be strong in their time of bereavement.

“I got the news when I was in China where we had gone with women at the invitation of All China Women’s Federation. It was really sad when the President broke the news to me. And being a mother, I know that we have children for posterity and I know that as parents they had plans and everyday you get up, you do not spend a day without thinking about children you brought up. Certainly, they were doing that,” said Amai Mugabe.

She told Prof Moyo and his wife that as parents, they had to accept that death was a prerogative of God who decides when and who to take.

“I told them that yes, we can come as many people as possible to comfort, but it is very difficult especially where one has not had this kind of experience. I know how difficult it is. As human beings, we are God’s flowers and He can come at any time to pluck out the best flower he wants and Zanele was the flower God wanted. I also told them to be strong and accept what had happened,” said Amai Mugabe.

She said it was sad that Zanele’s death occurred at a time when her mother was preparing to visit her in Cape Town where she was reading Political Science, International Relations and Gender Studies at the University of Cape Town. Zanele, the fourth daughter of Prof Moyo, was found dead in her apartment.

South African authorities were still carrying out investigations to establish circumstances surrounding her death. She was buried last week at Glen Forest Memorial Park in Harare at a funeral where several people from all walks of life converged to pay their last respects.