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Zvamaida Murwira
Harare Bureau—
First Lady Cde 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 their daughter Zanele (20) a fortnight ago in South Africa. Cde Mugabe, who is also the Zanu-PF Secretary for Women Affairs, was 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 at her death.
In an interview after consoling the family, the First Lady said she heard about the death of Zanele from President Mugabe while she was in China. Cde Mugabe said she told 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 don’t spend a day without thinking about children you brought up.
“Certainly, they were doing that,” said Cde Mugabe.
She told Prof Moyo and his wife that as parents, they had to accept that it was God’s prerogative who to take and when. “I told them that yes, we can come as many people as possible to comfort, but it’s 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 the First Lady.
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 studying 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 Cape Town apartment. South African authorities are 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 attended by many people from different walks of life.
Online Reporter