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From humble beginnings: The rise of two women

14 Sep, 2014 - 09:09 0 Views
From humble beginnings: The rise of two women

The Sunday Mail

Top5

The First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe and Vice-President Joice Mujuru follow proceedings after being conferred with Doctor of Philosophy degrees at the University of Zimbabwe on Friday —Pictures: Believe Nyakudjara

Brian Chitemba and Edwin Mwase
Their life stories read like fairy-tales  — starting off from humble beginnings to a chapter of defying all odds to achieve the somewhat unimaginable.First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe and Vice-President Joice Mujuru perfectly fit the bill of dreamers who finally discovered the art of bridging abstract thought and reality.

They have proved modest backgrounds will never deter a determined spirit. On Friday, the two graduated with Doctor of Philosophy Degrees at the 59th University of Zimbabwe graduation ceremony.

Amai Mugabe’s thesis focused on the changing social structure and functions of the family.

She conducted a case study on children’s homes in Zimbabwe.

VP Mujuru’s thesis was on the exploratory study of agricultural business.

Her case study was on Mitchel and Mitchel in Mashonaland East and Dotito Irrigation Scheme in Mashonaland Central province.

Many amazed faces lit up when the two women emerged at the ceremony sporting red robs, robs befitting their new-found stature.

Others engaged in rather vain and nasty exchanges on the Internet.

What is undoubted, though, is the two women’s amazing life journey.

The First Lady was a secretary when she met President Mugabe.

The couple tied the knot at a colourful ceremony in 1996. And so Grace Mugabe became First Lady. She attained her first degree in Chinese Language in 2011 at People’s University of China.

Her philanthropic work saw her establish a children’s home in Mazowe. Next to the orphanage is a massive state-of-the-art school that she put together with the President.

She is also on the verge of becoming Zanu-PF Women’s League Secretary following her nomination.

Friday put the icing on the cake. She became Dr Grace Mugabe after being capped by her very own husband.

The President’s smile said it all.

The loving smooch told a story.

This particular graduand — out of the 3 274 that were capped on the day — made the Chancellor of the university extremely proud.

Dr Mugabe said her area of study would help fine-tune her work in assisting the underprivileged, particularly children.

“I studied something related to the work I do everyday. I wanted to know what happens in the society to the extent of having many children being abandoned.

“With the knowledge, I am able to execute my job because education is the key to success . . . I hope this will inspire other people to follow suit.”
On the other hand, VP Mujuru grew up in rural Mount Darwin with a very modest educational background.

She fought in the liberation struggle and immediately got down to studying soon after independence.

She now holds a degree in Strategic Management from the Women’ University of Africa and a Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurial Development from Chinhoyi University.

She also became Zimbabwe’s first female Vice-President in 2004.

Friday marked another milestone in her education journey.

The VP said her study centred on agro-business and entrepreneurship.

She urged Zimbabweans to emulate the Indians’ business philosophy.

“You give an Indian US$10, he starts thinking of a business of some sort, but you give US$1 000 to our locals, he or she starts thinking of upgrading their wardrobes, or planning holiday trips.

“We have to be entrepreneurially alert and know the opportunities that we can use to improve ourselves economically.”

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