SW Radio Africa (London)
Tichaona Sibanda
2 May 2011
Grace Mugabe was this weekend seen in public for the first time in some weeks, after she went to Asia to reportedly receive treatment for a dislocated hip.
She travelled to Rome on Saturday with Robert Mugabe, for the beatification ceremony for the late Pope John Paul 11 at the Vatican.
It’s reported that Grace had flown back to Harare last week Wednesday from Asia. She was last seen in public on 7th April. Despite reports that she dislocated her hip in a bathtub slip, Grace showed no discomfort as she arrived in Rome together with her two sons, Robert junior and Chatunga.
Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba had previously suggested that Grace was in Singapore seeking treatment for a back injury. There were also claims that she was in the Asian country studying towards a degree.
But she rarely misses out on a chance to accompany her husband on trips to Western capitals – which has earned her the title of ‘first shopper.’
Mugabe is a practicing Catholic but recently he was highly critical of the Catholic church in general, accusing it of being a tool of the west.
For this trip to the Vatican he controversially sidestepped a European Union travel ban, which had been imposed on him in 2002 for his massive human rights abuses.
Italy was criticized for allowing him to travel through Rome and the UK press were highly critical of the fact that Mugabe had been invited to the Vatican.
But it was not the first time that the 87 year old Mugabe has caused controversy by attending a Vatican function. In 2005 he attended Pope John Paul’s funeral.
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Grace Mugabe Seen in Public For First Time in a Month