- Grace Mugabe cries to former President, Olusegun Obasanjo during Mugabe funeral
Former First Lady Grace Mugabe was pictured crying to Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo at the funeral of her husband, Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe died on 6 September at Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore, at the age of 95.
He led Zimbabwe for nearly four decades before he was forced to resign by the military in November 2017.
His State-assisted funeral was held in Harare at the National Sports Stadium on Saturday afternoon with several Heads of State and government in attendance.
The widow of Robert Mugabe wept over his coffin today – as Zimbabwe’s president says she will not be pursued over suspected misuse of public funds.
Grace Mugabe, 54, once had ambitions to succeed her tyrant husband, who died last week aged 95, but remains a deeply unpopular figure among her country’s public.
After marrying Mugabe in 1996, she became known for going on extravagant spending sprees while many of her compatriots lived in poverty.
The former secretary, dubbed Gucci Grace, is alleged to have assets of up to £1bn, and with her husband is widely suspected of having used public funds to cover her bills.
The pair were not pursued after Mugabe was toppled in 2017, with president Emmerson Mnangagwa hoping to placate those voters who still supported the ousted president.
Many had speculated that, with Mugabe dead, Grace’s vast wealth could be probed, but Mnangagwa has now said she will not face an investigation.
Speaking at the Mugabe family home, Mnangagwa said he had asked for a one-on-one meeting with Grace to “discuss some issues”, but added: “We had let bygones be bygones.
“You [Mrs. Mugabe] have the full support of the government.
“Nothing will change.”
Robert Mugabe was credited with helping secure Zimbabwe’s independence from Britain, but later established himself as a dictatorial ruler, and was eventually overthrown after losing support within his own party.
He died on September 6 at a Singapore Hospital following months of decline, though his exact cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
Among the topics expected to be discussed by President Mnangagwa and the Mugabe family is the question of where Mugabe will be buried.
The government stated previously that he would be buried at the Heroes’ Acre state monument, a site reserved for those who fought for Zimbabwe’s independence and contemporary figures who have demonstrated sufficient commitment to the country.
The site features a large monument to the guerrilla fighters built by Mugabe with the help of North Korean construction firm Mansudae Overseas Projects.
Mugabe’s first wife Sally, who died in 1992, is also buried there, in a plot long reserved for the ex-leader.
But some members of Mugabe’s family say he should be buried at his birthplace, the village of Kutama, 45 miles west of capital Harare, according to Zimbabwean tradition.
