Zanu PF to donate Mugabe, Grace colourful regalia




Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe (L) addresses party members and officials gathered at his party headquarters to show support to Grace Mugabe (R) becoming the party's next Vice President after the dismissal of Emerson Mnangagwa November 8 2017. Zimbabwe's sacked vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, said on November 8, 2017, he had fled the country, as he issued a direct challenge to long-ruling President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace. / AFP PHOTO / Jekesai NJIKIZANA
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Zanu PF had reportedly ordered at least 12 000 paraphernalia including T-shirts, mugs and hats for the over 12 000 delegates that were set to attend the Zanu PF extraordinary congress in December.

The other consignments were meant for the thousands who were expected to attend the presidential youth interface rally with students in Harare on November 18 and the Harare province presidential youth interface rally, whose date was still to be set when political uncertainty unravelled.

 

However, that material has been rendered useless after President Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in yesterday as the second executive president of Zimbabwe following the resignation of Mugabe after days of sustained pressure.

“We will honour our promise to all our suppliers and we will still pay what we agreed as per our contracts,” said a source in the department of regalia procurement at Zanu PF who declined to be named.

“What has happened will not change anything. I can’t obviously give you figures of how much was ordered but I can tell you that we will donate the regalia to orphanages.”

Zanu PF secretary of finance Obert Mpofu could not be drawn to comment on the matter and directed the Daily News on Sunday to party spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo saying his department was responsible for party regalia.

Khaya Moyo said the party will honour their agreements with all suppliers but declined to shed light on what they would do with the material.

Findings by the Daily News on Sundayshowed that the storeroom at the Zanu PF headquarters is full to the brim with paraphernalia emblazoned with the face of Mugabe and his wife.

“That is an internal party matter,” he insisted, adding: “We have not discussed what we will do with it next.”

Elsewhere, the Daily News on Sunday understands that Zanu PF provincial executive committees have instructed party members to stop wearing regalia emblazoned with embattled former first lady’s face.

The former liberation movement had made orders of regalia from various suppliers for the presidential youth interface rally with students and the proposed December Zanu PF extraordinary congress.

One of the main beneficiaries of the proceeds of the regalia was Grace whom Zanu PF had awarded the job to design the party’s new regalia following the Masvingo annual conference in December 2016.

The first lady has always bragged that she is a fashionista, with her husband claiming she even makes her own clothes.

Grace had maintained after that meeting that proceeds from the regalia sales will go to Zanu PF women’s league, which she headed before her husband was unceremoniously ousted.

“We decided to come up with this design as the women’s league so that we can fundraise for our activities. The philosophy behind the fabric design is that we wanted to do away with the razor on our cloth and replace it with the map of Zimbabwe, which represents a tea pot from which we all drink,” said Grace explaining the fabric’s print design and the philosophy behind it — which includes Mugabe’s face.

She went on to say that “inside the map is a mealie cob because we are an agrarian economy and there is also the country’s flower, the Flame Lily”, adding that “if you are not properly dressed in these garments, then you must be prepared to pay a $100 fine…” – Daily News