She may not be the love of many Zimbabweans but for Robert Mugabe, the former leader of this Southern African country, Grace Mugabe has always been cherished right from the first time he set eyes on her.

After being forced out of office last November, the 94-year-old Mugabe has been living a rather isolated life which many believed could be out of an experience of a bitter man.

He was recently heard ahead of Zimbabwe’s July 30 elections, backing an opposition party.

Almost two months after, Mugabe is in the news again; this time detailing how he met his wife, Grace, otherwise known as ‘Gucci Grace,’ due to her extravagant spending.

He disclosed this during the wake of his mother-in-law, Idah Marufu, at his Borrowdale home last Thursday, local media reports.

Mugabe and Grace

According to the former Zimbabwean leader, his relationship with Grace began while his Ghanaian-born first wife, Sally was on a hospital bed battling with kidney failure.

He said that even though he was still married to Sally at the time, he could not resist Grace, who was then his secretary.

“Yes we got involved when Sally was still alive, I had to. Grace and I never dated, I was just introduced to her, and I said to myself, ‘she is a beautiful girl,'” he was quoted by news site newsdzezimbabwe.

“I looked at her lustfully. Then one day, I said to her ‘I love you,’ and she was numb. I then grabbed her hand and kissed her. She didn’t refuse or protest and then I said to myself ‘now that she has accepted to be kissed, it’s game over.'”

Mugabe’s church was definitely against adultery but he had to ignore that due to pressure from his mother who wanted grandchildren as Sally could not give him children.

Mugabe and wife Grace — Africanews

He would marry Grace in 1996 and have three children with her.

After ruling the Southern African country for 37 years, Mugabe finally resigned on November 21, 2017.

The Zimbabwe National Army instigated an overthrow of his regime by placing him under house arrest for the crimes committed by individuals in his circle.

He was given the ultimatum to either resign by November 20, 2017, or face impeachment. He subsequently chose the former. Before leaving, Mugabe was said to have been preparing the grounds for Grace, to replace him.

His retirement sparked nationwide jubilations as Zimbabweans celebrated the dawn of a new era.

Emmerson Mnangagwa is Zimbabwe’s president —
NewsDay Zimbabwe

Mugabe’s vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, who he fired on November 6, was sworn in as the new president.

For many, this would ruin the relationship between the two, but Mugabe, at the wake indicated that he is no longer holding a grudge against Mnangagwa, adding that he had accepted the election results to the shock of many.

However, others attribute Mugabe’s acceptance to the recent assistance Mnangagwa offered when he allegedly hired a private jet for Grace to fly from Singapore to attend her mother’s funeral in Harare.

“If it takes my mother’s death for us to restore our old friendship, then let it be. Mnangagwa loves us. He knows we love him too. We pray for him because it is God’s will that he is president of the country. We pray that he be given the wisdom to lead the country, ” Grace, who was then a major critic of Mnangagwa said.