BY DR MASIMBA MAVAZA.
The role of the first lady is a role which only comes under public scrutiny after the husband becomes the president of a nation. What is the role of the First Lady? They do not have a direct role in the Presidential Administration; however, they provide informal advice, advocating for particular policies, and undertaking a host of symbolic, yet important functions. They now, have their own staff and an office for the First Lady.
The public’s overwhelming fascination with the first lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe pre-dates our current love affair with everything related to Auxillia Mnangagwa.
Unlike the President, the role of the First Lady is not addressed in the Constitution. Both the role of the Presidential spouse and the title have shifted and formalized over the history of Zimbabwe The spouse of the President is not elected to serve and yet, because the State House is both the residence and the office of the President, public service is inherent to the role.
Traditionally, the spouse of the President served as the hostess and was in charge of all things domestic; but that role has evolved a role that itself is a social surrogate for many of the ceremonial functions of the Presidency. The Morden first lady in the person of Auxilla Mnangagwa is often pointed to as a model spouse, capable of handling the domestic and ceremonial roles of the Presidency while also influencing policy and politics — all while not overstepping the boundaries. As we celebrate our forty first independency Auxillia Mnangagwa should be known as the “first lady of our land,” bringing us a step closer to the unity of our country and role model for our daughters. So we can safely say that the term First Lady of Zimbabwe is the title held by the hostess of the State House, usually the wife of the president of Zimbabwe, Concurrent with the president’s term in office. Although the first lady’s role has never been codified or officially defined, she figures prominently in the political and social life of the Republic of Zimbabwe. Since the early times of 1980 during Canaan Banana the first lady has been assisted by official staff, it should surely be known as the Office of the First Lady and headquartered in the best wing of the State House.
On any given day, the first lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe is under pressure. From sunrise to sunset, she may be hosting a tea for visiting dignitaries, advising the president (her husband), delivering a statement before a few dozen TV reporters and directing the renovation of a room within the State House. All while wearing a pantsuit that critics may later say was a bad colour choice for her. On whatever continent we look, the heads of states’ spouses still share several characteristics. Most notably this is the largely unacknowledged invisible influence on their partners and thus on politics. But also their – for the most part – unrecognized social work in form of charitable events and alike is a shared feature. However numerous the similarities between different states’ first ladies might be, considerable regional distinctions persist, the position, role and influence of first ladies have long been overlooked and unaware of. While history is full of examples of “a power operating behind the throne”, undoubtedly, first ladies are the person closest to one of the leading politicians in their respective country and therefore are able to wield a considerable amount of influence. It seems, however, as if the public rather focuses on scandal and controversy, a first lady’s private life or the traditional functions of her office than on her being a viable part of the presidency, the political landscape or even the nation.
We cannot talk about Mnangagwa without talking about his wife. Auxillia Mnangagwa giving a concise definition of the role of a first lady as well as the powers and obligations this office holds. We will not be looking behind the scenes of a first lady’s sphere of action, and this will include an analysis of the invisible influence this office grants and how first ladies can exert their influence and it will also examine the political partnership between presidents and their spouses. Bearing in mind the pervasive influence set by former first lady Grace Mugabe we will focus on the informal influence wielded by first ladies and their partaking in politics. People normally focus in their public appearance and the reasons for the unequal attention they receive. The use of the term “office” in connection with first ladies is technically speaking not correct, as an office is characterized as “a special duty, charge, or position conferred by an exercise of governmental authority and for a public purpose” definition which a first lady’s extra-constitutional function does not meet. But looking at Auxillia Mnangagwa on the round she deserve to write her a paragraph of her good deeds in the national constitutions and let her works be the guiding power to other first ladies who will come after her.Auxillia Mnangagwa (née Kutyauripo; was born on the 3rd March 1963) She is a Zimbabwean politician and has served as the First Lady of Zimbabwe since November 2017, as the wife of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. After spending over ten years at the Ministry of Manpower and Development, she joined the Prime Minister’s office in 1992. She was elected as a ZANU–PF Member of Parliament in 2015, serving for the same constituency as her husband after he became Vice-President under the icon Robert Mugabe.
Born on 25 March 1963 in Mazowe District in Mashonaland Central, Auxillia was the second child in a family of five. She was brought up on a farm in Chiweshe where she attended primary and secondary school. Her parents divorced when she was in Grade 3 After completing a secretarial course at Silveira House, Chishawasha, in 1981, she worked for the Ministry of Manpower and Development under Edgar Tekere. She entered politics in 1982, eventually rising to the politburo from 1992; she was assigned to the Prime Minister’s office, joining the Central Intelligence Organization.
In 1997, she began studying in the Environment and Tourism department at the University of Zimbabwe. She left for Switzerland two years later, graduating in Hotel and Tourism Administration in 2001. On her return to Zimbabwe, she joined the finance department of ZANU-PF in Kwekwe. Following an unsuccessful attempt to stand for the ZANU-PF in her birth area Mazowe Central, she joined the party’s Central Committee in 2009. On behalf of Zanu-PF, she set up a number of women’s banks in at Silobela, Zhombe, Kwekwe and Chirumanzu-Zibagwe in Zimbabwe’s Midlands Province.
When her husband was fired by Mugabe in 2017 Auxillia was dumped by her colleagues in the party. She would sit all alone in parliament and people did not want to associate with her. Immediately after the new dispensation her space was congested when people tackle each other to be recognized by her. This acted as a movie while it gave real life lessons on who is indeed a friend.
However the first lady transformed the office of the first lady to become a social and people oriented office. She would go to remote areas to hang out with the poor. She will cook for them and dine with them. Even though many people rubbished her efforts as a stunt, the first lady was not discouraged. She gave a lesson to many that you must remember your roots.
Unlike Grace Mugabe who had a different way to her first ladyship Auxillia did not mingle in the political day to day Runnings. She had her own way which was socio political.
The first lady engaged in social duties which turned people’s hearts to her and to the mother land. Her duties include Unpaid and unelected. Auxillia showed that every first lady, although without any official duties, has to fulfil the role that is serving to the people and to the country. Worldwide the office of first lady developed gradually, with every woman who occupied the position adding to it. It is not public election that confers this title but rather the fact that those women are married to the current president. The first lady has two distinct duties, which are social and political ones. The traditional duties are those widely accepted by the public while the modern and politically oriented ones are subject to heavy criticism and scrutiny. Auxillia has shown wisdom; even though she is a politician in her own right she has shown other ladies in general that you do not need to be a politician to be successful. She commands a political strength but she produces village humility.
It has to be borne in mind that each first lady will model the office according to her personal likes and dislikes and not every duty will necessarily be fulfilled by every first lady to the same extent, in the same way or at all. Axilla has made her office people oriented. While social duties are as old as the office itself and the public views them as fundamental to the role first ladies assume Auxillia has panel beat them to suit the modern society without kicking out the old folks. Despite the public person the first lady is a woman becomes when her husband is elected president of the nation, there is a highly private aspect to those women, mothers, grandmothers etc. This dichotomy between private and public makes the office of first lady such a challenge. Behind all this running up and down Zimbabwe engaged in near miss accidents Auxillia is a loving mother a woman and a human being. “The family aspect in Zimbabwean politics is not to be underestimated”. What should not be forgotten is that it is not only the first lady who acts as a role model but that the whole first family is idealized. So Auxillia is a mother to her Children all of them and indeed a mother to all children in Zimbabwe grown and young. The first lady is the State House manager. All first ladies have fulfilled their role as a hostess, the oldest remaining role, to varying degrees. Hosting state dinners and State House events is equally an important feature of this function as is greeting foreign heads of state and local political leaders or managing State House household affairs.
There is also a political side to the hostess role and the first lady has contrived ways of using these events to build support for her spouse’s political career. Additionally to the activities she assumes as a hostess, the first lady also serves as the curator of the State House, which is not only a private residence but also a monument and a part of living Zimbabwean history. Auxillia when she moved to state house also undertook significant restructuring and redecoration projects.
THE FIRST LADY HAS IGNITED INTEREST IN OUR CULTURAL FOOD AND DRESSES. Since the early days of the office, the first lady has played a significant role in transporting the ideals of Zimbabwean womanhood and people have projected their ideas about family and home on the members of the most transparent family of the nation. Due to the popularity the first lady enjoys, her influence as role model might be one of the strongest powers she has. As her every move is closely watched even symbolic acts serve as expressions of support or criticism. Auxillia has acquitted herself very well in the aspect of being a role model, teaching women and girls how to be motherly, how to prepare our traditional dishes and how to treat those older than us. Auxillia has graduated as a Zimbabwean social advocate fine tuning the nation to the socio political agendas of Zimbabwe. As traditional as serving as the nation’s hostess is a first lady’s promotion of social concerns. Due to her influence and position, the first lady has extensively lobby her platform, her works will become customary for every first lady to adopt projects and some will go as far as politically promoting their projects, therefore quite actively involving into policy making.
Not all first ladies have active interest in politics and legislation but all serve as informal advisors to their spouses, thus politically influencing the presidential administration. Political partaking is doubtlessly the most critical role a first lady can assume and there is a theory suggesting that political activism may be related to party-affiliation. People tend to love the motherly wives of their leaders. Zimbabwe is blessed to have Auxillia in the shadows of their president. It is safe to say that the presidency has often been viewed as a political partnership in which the first lady serves as the president’s most trusted confidante. In most cases the two partners have been a pair long before the election and the first lady therefore is the person emotionally closest to the president
Auxillia can boast as a lady who supported her husband and made contributions to her spouse careers even before campaigning. . When female voters came into the picture of presidential campaigning, first lady is the attracting force and we must never forget our first lady as we celebrate this forty first freedom day. The first lady can be an important asset during election season as well as during the term. Since she is the person closest to the president, public and media turn to her for any hint of her husband’s ideologies and ideas. The role and title of First Lady did not emerge fully formed.
First Ladies are often the most famous women in Zimbabwe and are able to influence, or at least are perceived to be able to influence, the President. Due to their position and proximity, proponents of causes would implore First Ladies for their aid and assistance, sometimes successful in finding a champion. Auxillia Mnangagwa took an interest in the needs of women and more particularly rural ladies. Even before she was the first lady she distributed sanitary wear to the deprived. . The first Lady has advocated education, employment, and housing opportunities for the girl child and women in particular.. She inspected unsafe working conditions and used her influence to get health and safety laws in place, to this end she was made health ambassador by the then minister of Health cde O Moyo. In this position the first lady made sure medication which was stock piled at NATPHARM was distributed to the needy hospitals.
The First Lady sponsors national and international causes such as environmentalism, volunteerism, women’s rights, literacy, and treatment for drug dependency. She has worked to further libraries, education, and the National Parks, It is again clear that the first lady worked to counter childhood obesity through healthy eating and exercise.
Since the advent of Auxillia Mnangagwa the public has also been fascinated with the First Lady’s as trendsetters in style, fashion, entertaining, and home design. During the ZANU PF conferences the first lady has promoted fashion and gave prizes to fashion winners. Despite her age which is not in the thirties Auxillia Mnangagwa has been lauded for her use of colour coordination and matching accessories, which is now being imitated across the country. Despite her social attachments the first lady worked to historically preserve the cultural food like Mufushwa which she takes to all provinces, her special tours are televised so that she can spread the word as fast as possible. She is also considered extremely fashionable and her style is imitated today in schools and many gatherings.
Since the new dispensation the interest in First Lady has gone beyond the traditionally feminine roles of fashion and home, to include the educational background and what she is reading and what music is she listening to. First Ladies have been criticized for doing too much and for not doing enough. Some have been praised for their looks or fashion, and others have been less kindly treated. Each woman has had to make her own rules and define her own role without the guidance or limitations of the Constitution. Perhaps no first lady has been spared the public’s ire. So the first lady has had her own share of bad publicity raging from disgruntled workers with strong ties to G40 to some overzealous behaviour by those employed at state house and are related to her. And the criticism she garners is usually more personal in nature. With the flexible parameters of her position comes a great deal of responsibility. She learnt to balance her time among her three main duties, which you’ll recall are social affairs, press relations and policy issues. The role is complicated even further if the first lady has children. Then, the public expects to see her prioritize her commitments to family along with her commitments to the nation. A first lady who devotes too much time to planning state dinners and hosting galas can be deemed a spendthrift; conversely, one who pours her energy into policy-making is judged for neglecting her traditional roles and encroaching on the president’s territory. She can be viewed as idle or too active, impersonal or too candid.
It should be realised that first lady’s performance can’t be measured the same way because her goals for the first ladyship aren’t as widely publicized — if they’re publicized at all. During her husband’s campaign, the first lady generally espouses as her own causes whatever his platforms may be. And much of the first lady’s activity and appearance may be directly attributed to her husband. She is his humanizing half — a stoic and withdrawn president’s appearance can be bolstered by a lively and cordial wife. The president of the Republic of Zimbabwe is in the centre of the Zimbabwean political system. Accordingly, this institution, its development, its position within polity, and its incumbents have been and still are subject of scrutiny in the field of political science.
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We cannot celebrate the heroes of Zimbabwe without celebrating the first lady. She has moved very fast from the legacy left behind by the former first lady. She has shown a forgiving heart and a motherly soft touch. She has redefined the role of the first lady. No man can be able to function without a supporting woman.
As Zimbabwe celebrates its forty first anniversary we give a thought to the woman who made all this workable, the force behind the scenes, the comforter of the president when days are dark. The mother who smiles even if she wants to burst with anger is Auxillia Mnangagwa. The one who will cover the nakedness of the nation and the one who compliments the president whenever he becomes wanting.
vazet2000@yahoo.co.uk
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