The Sunday Mail
Farai Chinyani
First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe is my mother’s sister. My mother, Mrs Junior Shuvai Gumbochuma, is the eldest in their family.
So, you will realise that the two have a joint birthday party on Saturday (yesterday) because my mum is turning 60 while the First Lady will be 52 (today).
I know that everyone is thinking it’s the First Lady’s birthday party, but this time around, she is doing it for her sister. She is taking a back seat.
So, the party is for my mum, and it’s a surprise disguised as the First Lady’s party.
My mum was born on the 21st of July 1957 and mhamha (Amai Mugabe) was born on the 23rd of July 1965. Their birthdays are just a day apart, hence the combined celebrations.
The First Lady and President Mugabe raised me. I was born when my mum was very young and my father passed away when I was two years old. Therefore, I lived with Amai from when I was about nine-years-old.
She is such a wonderful person.
Amai Mugabe is generous, very cultured; and you even see for yourself that she is also very smart.
Amai is hard-working. We learnt that diligence from her. She is cultured in the sense that she always teaches us to be decent women; she takes care of her husband all the time.
She taught us that even though we are educated, we should be good wives. She cooks for her husband all the time.
And when she comes home from the office, she is in the kitchen, cooking for her family. She loves her family and cares for it very well.
As a parent, she is strict.
We never used to go out; we were never allowed to go anywhere. Iiii . . . she is so strict; even the girls (Mrs Chinyani’s sisters) can tell you how strict the First Lady is.
It runs in their family because all our mothers are so strict, especially on the girls. There are so many of us and very few boys. We just used to be at home all the time.
On her role in politics, I think Amai got into politics when she was very young and as you can see, she has matured over time.
The First Lady is a very tough person and can withstand political pressure. Politics is not an easy game, but she can stand the heat. I think she is a courageous person. That I don’t doubt.
Mother is also philanthropic.
She raises those kids at her orphanage in Mazowe like they were her own. If you go there, you will be amazed.
I can’t even understand it because she treats the 90 kids the same; vese vakadaro. Those kids love her so much.
When she gets there, everyone runs to her and she remembers all of them by name, including what this one and the other likes to eat; how the others behave.
So, she has a good heart. She has always been like that.
The First Lady gave all of those children names.
As you would know, the kids come into the orphanage without any name. But Amai gives them names that she remembers all the time.
I wonder how she manages to do that.
Of course, in public, she has to behave in a certain way since she is a public figure. However, at home, she is so free with everyone around her.
She is probably the most easy-going of our mothers. She likes to joke around with us a lot. But when she gets serious, she really means business.
Well, she has changed a lot over the years kubva tiri vadiki. When she married the President, she was still young and managed to do her A-Levels, then her higher education, including a PhD. That just shows how disciplined she is.
So, you know, education changes people. You can tell that this person has matured.
She has learnt a lot over the years through exposure to the outside world where she has travelled, meeting notable world leaders.
She is a wise person.
There are just too many memorable moments. My family and, particularly my mother’s family, our background … we grew up in a poor family.
We are all grateful that the President married into our family and as you can imagine, it changed our lives. It gave us opportunities that we had never dreamt of. We have managed to go to school, college, university.
The First Lady helped us to attain an education and she treats us all the same…vana sekuru, vana vavo. All the kids have gone to college because of Amai. When some people become successful in life, they just focus on their own well-being.
I actually think that the most important thing she has done for us is empowering us with education. We have been educated and now we can do things on our own.
I went to boarding school.
I went to St Francis Assisi and then to Eagle house in Marondera before I enrolled for college in the United States where I studied Information Systems and attained a Master’s degree. My sisters also have degrees.
We all thank the First Lady for her generosity. My relationship with the First Lady is solid, dating back to some many many years ago. She is 10 years older than me, so we are more of friends.
We used to rent one room in Mabvuku around 1980; just after the war. That was our home. It was just a small room and there were four of us — the First Lady, my mum and Mai Chidhakwa. e later moved to Tafara and then to Marondera when my mum remarried. By that time, the First Lady was in school.
She completed her Secretarial course and worked in the Office of the President.
By that time, we were now staying at Trafalgar Court in Harare. We later moved to another flat along Samora Machel Avenue and then to Lochnivar.
After she married the President, we moved to Mandara then to State House. Through the President and Amai’s support, we are also into farming and my husband (Mr Tendai Chinyani) is the one who is really into serious farming. We did about 250 hectares of maize last season, and are still harvesting. It was a good farming season. The President is just an amazing man. I can’t just describe his benevolence.
He took us in his house, the whole family. I was just a curious person. I remember having lots of conversations with him about the war, the Lancaster House Conference.
I wanted to understand.
He is so patient and explains everything, and remembers many things. He encouraged me to study; he mentored me and always encouraged me to be serious with school.
Mudhara is different when he is at home because he talks a lot and jokes.
Both the First Lady and the President eat a lot of traditional food: Sadza rezviyo, mhunga, vegetables, muboora.
The First Lady is fit and so is the President; they exercise. They wake up every morning and exercise daily.
Mum (First Lady) likes music, particularly reggae. She used to listen to UB40. She can also dance, hey (laughs)!
I just want to wish my two mothers happy birthday and many more years filled with health and happiness.
Mrs Farai Chinyani was speaking to The Sunday Mail’s Brian Chitemba in Harare last week ahead of First Lady Amai Mugabe’s 52nd birthday today
