Advertisement

Mugabe’s wife complains about unruly sons

Tuesday July 25 2017
mugabz

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (C), with his son Robert Jr, smiles at his grandson during his 93rd birthday celebrations. PHOTO | JEKESAI NJIKIZANA | AFP

By KITSEPILE NYATHI

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s wife, Grace Mugabe, has confessed that she is concerned about her sons’ wayward behaviour after they were evicted from a plush apartment in Johannesburg over wild parties.

According to a leading privately-owned Zimbabwean weekly paper, Robert Junior, 25, and Chatunga Bellarmine, 21, were caught in a vicious scuffle that involved a gun drama, forcing the landlord to kick them out last month.

“If I am to say women stand up to talk about your children, very few women can be brave enough to talk about that without breaking down,” she told relatives and friends at her sister’s birthday party on Sunday.

“Nowadays there are spirits attacking our children. The spirit of drinking, drug abuse and doing other abnormal things way beyond their age.

“I am telling you because the behaviour of the children does not matter if they are the president’s children or not. All children are mischievous,” she said.

The paper had reported that the First Lady flew to South Africa earlier this month to address the sons’ issue.

Advertisement
Muga sons

Mugabe sons arriving at a national function. PHOTO | KITSEPILE NYATHI

The two moved to South Africa this year after Robert Junior was forced to leave Dubai, where he was studying, over allegations of substance abuse. Bellarmine, who had been living in Harare, joined his brother in Johannesburg.

“I have seen parents wearing torn clothes because their kids are demanding top-end trending clothes. In schools and universities, children are competing on fashion and they do not pay heed to parental advice,” Mrs Mugabe said.

President Mugabe, 93, often complains about his two sons’ lack of seriousness but is always full of praise for his only daughter, Bona.

Mrs Bona Chikore, 27, holds a master’s degree in banking and finance and sits in boards of several state-run firms. In 2014, her parents showered with her with money and expensive gifts during her lavish wedding to Simba Chikore, now the chief operating officer of Air Zimbabwe.

President Mugabe has three children with his 52-year-old wife whom he married in 1996 after the death of his first wife, Sally Hayfron.

Advertisement