Zimbabwe first Lady Grace Mugabe gestures as she addresses worshippers at a religious gathering When did Grace Mugabe marry Robert? When working as a secretary in his office. Mugabe's first wife Sally died from kidney failure in 1992. Four years later he married Grace in a ceremony attended by African leaders including Nelson Mandela. The couple had two boys - Robert Jr, 25, and Chutunga, 21, - who have become 'Playboys' on social media. South African-born Grace, 52, is also legendary for her ostentatious living. So much so that's she been dubbed 'Gucci Grace' for her shopping as millions of Zimbabweans live in poverty. Grace recently sued a Lebanese gem dealer for failing to deliver a 100-carat diamond ring, worth more than £800,000. And she's notorious for her temper. She was with an extension cord in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August. The model was partying in an expensive hotel with her sons. After being granted diplomatic immunity, Grace fled South Africa. At a rally this month, Grace did not hide her ambitions and said she told her husband 'give me the job, leave me in charge' Is the Zimbabwe 'coup' targeting the First Lady? Her ambitions to take over from her ailing 93-year-old husband led to their demise, according to many observers. The sacking of popular vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa appears to have been the final straw. Mnangagwa had led the original fight for independence in the 1960s and was once captured after blowing up a railway train. He had been ever-present by Mugabe's side since 1980 until last week. Many claim he was sacked to pave the way for Grace, who had strong support from the Zanu-PF party's youth wing. At rally this month she said: “So I have said to the president, you can also leave me in charge. 'You can also give me your position. 'Give me the job and I will do it very well because I am good. I can do a great job.' She shouted back at the hecklers: 'If you have been paid to boo me, boo, go ahead. 'I don't care, I am powerful.' Reports that things came to a head this week when General Constantino Chiwenga was accused of 'treason' by the ruling Zanu-PF party for calling on them to stop purges. Since treason is punishable by death, he was forced to fight. Mnangagwa - nicknamed The Crocodile - has now been installed as the leader after being flown back into the country. Ordinary Zimbabweans awoke to the sight of tanks on their streets this morning as the coup unfolded Has Grace fled to Namibia? It is thought Robert Mugabe is under house arrest in the capital Harare. A statement from South African president Jacob Zuma said that he had spoken to the former president who told him he was fine. Grace is reported to have fled the country for neighbouring Namibia although those claims remain unsubstantiated. Leading commentator on Zimbabwean politics Chris Mutsvangwa said: “It’s the end of a very painful and sad chapter in the history of a young nation, in which a dictator, as he became old, surrendered his court to a gang of thieves around his wife.”. ©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Oct 24, 2017. Zimbabweans reacted with customary humour to the letter, which faked the signature and letterhead of the newly appointed cyber minister - Patrick Chinamasa - and instructed all WhatsApp group members to register with the ministry by November. The letter was signed 'By The Cyber Powers Vested In. Are u in zvishavane above 35yrs male.let's tok. Female; African; 31; Harare West. Looking for a proffesional/an accomplished mature man age above 35.maybe u will like my world. Zimbabwe Ladies Talk About What They Prefer Better Hombe Or Diki,in this heated conversation 2 Zim ladies talk about what really does it for them between a man who. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. 'The Sun', 'Sun', 'Sun Online' are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's in accordance with our. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our site. I am a male aged 30yrs looking for female friends to chat with and financial stable working under the Zim government my contact is. I am a 27 year old divorced mother of two who is looking for a 30-33 year old divorced father of 2 or 3, he should be a church goer who does not drink alcohol. View our online Press Pack. For other inquiries,. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The Sun website is regulated by the Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Zimbabweans jokingly refer to the newly appointed cyber security tsar as the 'Minister of WhatsApp' A spoof government notice hit social media as soon as President Robert Mugabe announced he had set up a new ministry responsible for Cyber Security, Threat Detection and Mitigation. Zimbabweans reacted with customary humour to the letter, which faked the signature and letterhead of the newly appointed cyber minister - Patrick Chinamasa - and instructed all WhatsApp group members to register with the ministry by November. The letter was signed 'By The Cyber Powers Vested In Me'. • • Using platforms like Twitter and Facebook it organised a stay-at-home demonstration, the biggest anti-government protest in a decade. President Robert Mugabe's spokesperson, George Charamba, says Mr Mugabe came up with the idea of a new ministry to deal with an 'emerging threat to the state. A threat founded on abuse and unlawful conduct'. Social media is possibly the primary platform Zimbabweans use to communicate and receive news. It is thriving despite restrictive laws governing freedom of expression. Over the last 16 years, internet usage in the country has grown from 0.3% penetration to 46%, data from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) shows. Several TV stations and online publications, some operating from the diaspora, use the internet to disseminate news out of the reach of the government. Image copyright AFP Image caption #ThisFlag protestors brought Harare to a standstill last year When petrol stations ran out of fuel last month, there were dramatic scenes of long queues at supermarket as Zimbabweans stocked up, anticipating food shortages. Worried by these events, the government blamed social media messages for spreading panic. 'Social media was abused to create a sense of panic, thereby creating some sort of destabilising in the economy,' says Mr Charamba. The new cyber security minister, Mr Chinamasa, agrees. He commented at the time, before his appointment, that 'the cause basically was social media'. 'It means it's a security issue,' he adds. 'It is also a political agenda, a regime change agenda. We are going to look at what exactly happened with a view to take corrective measures in the security arena.' 'Muzzling' opinion But others say the government's stance is a threat to civil liberties. One communications rights group, the Zimbabwe chapter of the Media Institute for Southern Africa (Misa), says this new scrutiny of social media goes against the spirit of the constitution and freedom of expression. 'These unfortunate threats have resulted in self-censorship by [individuals] when engaging on topical issues affecting the country,' it said in a statement. It also criticises censorship of Zimbabwe's media, 'who have on occasion been chastised for incorporating citizen opinion as expressed online in their reportage'. • Going a step further, Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says the government's new cyber threat ministry is a means for government to spy on its people. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai also believes that the ministry has been created to curb free speech in time for the 2018 polls. Will do whatever it takes to control and muzzle social media in order to suppress public discontent against his regime,' he said. 'However the good news is that the regime has no capacity to suppress the use of social media.' Many Zimbabweans have reacted wryly to the news of the creation of a cyber minister, referring to Mr Chinamasa as the 'Minister of WhatsApp'. End of Twitter post by @DougColtart Zimbabwe already has several pieces of legislation which rights groups say curb freedom of expression. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights says that since 2010, it has assisted more than 100 people arrested under a law which makes it a jailable offence to 'insult the president' and 'undermine his authority'. Ordinary people have been arrested and charged for calling the 93-year-old leader 'old', 'a donkey' and even for accusing him of ruining the country. The Zimbabwean government has said new legislation will not stifle freedom of expression and will protect the public from new threats such as revenge pornography and cyber attacks. Presidential spokesperson Mr Charamba says Zimbabwe will look closely at how other nations have dealt with the threat of cybercrime - including Russia, China, and South Korea 'who have faced similar challenges'. Arrests ahead? While several countries around the world have anti-cyber crime departments and agencies, Zimbabwe is among the first to create an entire ministry. Meanwhile on social media, ominous warnings have begun circulating. One is from a 'Mr Chaipa', urging Zimbabweans only to share content on social media that they would be able to defend in court. Mr Chaipa said it was easy for the government to monitor online messages, and gave a list of online activities that could be classified as criminal offences. 'In the coming months a lot of people will be arrested and used as examples to deter people from 'abusing' social media towards the elections,' he warns. 'Don't be made an example.'
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