By Farayi Machamire
Former first lady Grace Mugabe’s once invincible status has waned. This is after her son Russell and his associates were given a torrid time in their bid to enter Botswana with their three fancy cars — one believed to belong to Grace — en route to South Africa.
There were suggestions, including Gokwe Nembudziya Member of Parliament Justice Mayor Wadyajena, that the former first lady had signed an affidavit pleading for safe passage of her vehicles.
This could not be independently verified at the time of going to print.
However, a leading newspaper in Botswana, MMEGi, reported that customs officials at Plumtree Border on Friday searched the vehicles and questioned Grace’s son Russell and his companions.
It would get worse for Grace’s team after the vehicles were allegedly involved in a freak accident just a few kilometres inside Botswana.
“Three super cars believed to be belonging to Grace Mugabe have had a freak accident near Artesia on the A1 road around 10pm today. All the cars, Rolls Royce, Range Rover & Porsche, which were this morning reportedly battling with customs to enter Botswana from Zimbabwe en-route to South Africa, are badly damaged but the drivers escaped unscathed,” MMEGi reported.
The incident comes as the empire of wife of former president Robert Mugabe has been on a downward trajectory.
Grace had hoped to build a massive empire in the Mazowe area, but that utopian dream was shattered by the strong winds of change that swept across the country’s political landscape in November.
At the pinnacle of her referral power, the former first lady grabbed prime land in Mashonaland Central, including prolific citrus fields that produced some of the finest oranges for export.
She also built an exclusive school, an orphanage that drew attention to her philanthropic work.
When MPs forced Mugabe out on November 21 after they began impeachment proceedings against him, Chinese contractors were on the middle of extending Grace’s private school.
All these projects are now in limbo because well-wishers, who played a significant part in their construction, have switched off the taps. Daily News
