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| Grace Mugabe launches Alpha Omega dairy range | Grace Mugabe launches Alpha Omega dairy range |
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| She has long been accused of milking the country for all its worth. Now Grace Mugabe, wife of one of Africa's most notorious autocrats, appears to be giving something back by launching her own dairy range. | She has long been accused of milking the country for all its worth. Now Grace Mugabe, wife of one of Africa's most notorious autocrats, appears to be giving something back by launching her own dairy range. |
| The first lady of Zimbabwe – labelled "DisGrace" by her critics – has begun selling milk under her brand Alpha Omega, according to local media. | The first lady of Zimbabwe – labelled "DisGrace" by her critics – has begun selling milk under her brand Alpha Omega, according to local media. |
| This follows a falling out with Nestlé three years ago when, facing a possible global consumer boycott, the multinational food giant stopped buying milk from her farm. The previous white owner of the Gushungo dairy estate in Mazowe had reportedly been forced to sell it to Grace under duress. | This follows a falling out with Nestlé three years ago when, facing a possible global consumer boycott, the multinational food giant stopped buying milk from her farm. The previous white owner of the Gushungo dairy estate in Mazowe had reportedly been forced to sell it to Grace under duress. |
| She is now taking on the mighty Nestlé by selling her dairy products direct in supermarkets, with the news site New Zimbabwe describing it as a "brazen challenge". | She is now taking on the mighty Nestlé by selling her dairy products direct in supermarkets, with the news site New Zimbabwe describing it as a "brazen challenge". |
| "The country's biggest supermarket chain, OK, on Wednesday was selling pints of fresh milk and sour milk under Mugabe's Alpha Omega brand," the site said. "Also being processed at the farm is powdered milk, ice-cream and various other products which will soon enter a market dominated by Nestlé." | "The country's biggest supermarket chain, OK, on Wednesday was selling pints of fresh milk and sour milk under Mugabe's Alpha Omega brand," the site said. "Also being processed at the farm is powdered milk, ice-cream and various other products which will soon enter a market dominated by Nestlé." |
| At four decades younger than her husband, Grace has a reputation as a woman who gets her way. Already married, she had two children with Mugabe when she was his secretary and his Ghanaian first wife, Sally, was dying from cancer. She married the president in 1996 in a Catholic mass dubbed the "Wedding of the Century" by a loyal press. He was 73 when she gave birth to their third child. | At four decades younger than her husband, Grace has a reputation as a woman who gets her way. Already married, she had two children with Mugabe when she was his secretary and his Ghanaian first wife, Sally, was dying from cancer. She married the president in 1996 in a Catholic mass dubbed the "Wedding of the Century" by a loyal press. He was 73 when she gave birth to their third child. |
| Grace, 46, has been criticised for extravagant overseas shopping trips and lavish properties, one of which was dubbed Gracelands. She has been the subject of a newspaper scandal about her private life and filed a libel action over a story that she was profiting from "blood diamonds". Three years ago in Hong Kong she reportedly punched a British photographer in the face, inflicting cuts and bruises. Like her husband, she is subject to EU and US sanctions. | Grace, 46, has been criticised for extravagant overseas shopping trips and lavish properties, one of which was dubbed Gracelands. She has been the subject of a newspaper scandal about her private life and filed a libel action over a story that she was profiting from "blood diamonds". Three years ago in Hong Kong she reportedly punched a British photographer in the face, inflicting cuts and bruises. Like her husband, she is subject to EU and US sanctions. |
| In a recent interview with the state-owned Sunday Mail newspaper, Grace described Mugabe and herself as farmers who have installed a state-of-the-art plant at the Gushungo estate. She said it was possibly the second-biggest dairy parlour in southern Africa, capable of milking 64 cows at a time, and claimed that the couple own 2,000 head of cattle. | In a recent interview with the state-owned Sunday Mail newspaper, Grace described Mugabe and herself as farmers who have installed a state-of-the-art plant at the Gushungo estate. She said it was possibly the second-biggest dairy parlour in southern Africa, capable of milking 64 cows at a time, and claimed that the couple own 2,000 head of cattle. |
| She does her own cooking, laundry and ironing, she told the paper. "I believe I am in this world for a purpose, to play a part. As Shakespeare said, all the world's a stage and all the women and men merely players. I am playing my part to complement those being played by others." | She does her own cooking, laundry and ironing, she told the paper. "I believe I am in this world for a purpose, to play a part. As Shakespeare said, all the world's a stage and all the women and men merely players. I am playing my part to complement those being played by others." |
| Grace told the Sunday Mail Mugabe rose at about 5am and has a small amount of porridge and a cup of tea for breakfast. He id not carry money, she said, and denied that the couple were wealthy, insisting: "No, we do not have lots of money, we work for it." | Grace told the Sunday Mail Mugabe rose at about 5am and has a small amount of porridge and a cup of tea for breakfast. He id not carry money, she said, and denied that the couple were wealthy, insisting: "No, we do not have lots of money, we work for it." |
| President Mugabe has been accused of ethnic cleansing, election rigging and violent crackdowns on opposition during his 32-year rule, but Grace said: "He is one very humble person. He carries himself with a high degree of humility; a down-to-earth person ... He is a caring and considerate man. He thinks about his people so much." | President Mugabe has been accused of ethnic cleansing, election rigging and violent crackdowns on opposition during his 32-year rule, but Grace said: "He is one very humble person. He carries himself with a high degree of humility; a down-to-earth person ... He is a caring and considerate man. He thinks about his people so much." |
| She described her relationship with her 88-year-old husband as "very close", adding: "We talk about a lot of different things, a lot. We shout at each other as well. That is normal; we are normal people. In a relationship you cannot say you will not anger each other. I would be lying. It would be a blatant lie if I said we do not fight. We do sometimes and then we talk and iron out our differences." | She described her relationship with her 88-year-old husband as "very close", adding: "We talk about a lot of different things, a lot. We shout at each other as well. That is normal; we are normal people. In a relationship you cannot say you will not anger each other. I would be lying. It would be a blatant lie if I said we do not fight. We do sometimes and then we talk and iron out our differences." |
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