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THE nation joined the First Lady Cde Grace Mugabe in celebrating her milestone 50th birthday yesterday and we can only say congratulations to the woman who has been by President Robert Mugabe’s side for the past 19 years. Since marrying the President in 1996 at the tender age of 31, the First Lady has matured over the years and in her words, has tapped from the immense wisdom imbued in her husband.

Apart from her role as the First Spouse, Cde Mugabe has assumed many duties ranging from her philanthropic work with the underprivileged in society to her recent entry into the jungles of politics where she has shaken the landscape to its core.

But her rise to the top has been nothing but meteoric. From a typist in the President’s Office in the early 1990s, Amai Mugabe has shown great tenacity and bravado in weathering the various storms that have come her way. By marrying an icon in the mould of President Mugabe, the First Lady was immediately thrust into the spotlight at an early age.

But the manner she has dealt with the brickbats thrown at her in a calm and mature way, has been nothing but remarkable. For starters, her marriage to Cde Mugabe was portrayed in the private and Western media in bad light considering that she was stepping into the shoes of the late Sally Mugabe — herself considered the Mother of the Nation. Detractors sought to cast aspersions on her character and integrity but to no avail as the President himself came to her defence by explaining that his first wife actually gave her blessings to their union.

The real test was to come when the President faced various challenges as the West sought to effect regime change in Zimbabwe after the government embarked on the land reform programme at the turn of the millennium. During this period, Zimbabwe was portrayed as a pariah state ripe for foreign intervention to topple the Zanu-PF government.

While the President — as a tried and tested revolutionary who went through the rigors of the liberation struggle and 10 years of detention — managed to withstand the onslaught — it must have been a tough period for the First Lady as she had to juggle motherhood with her wifely duties to a husband who was under siege. As the demonisation campaign against President Mugabe escalated, the collateral damage on his family was inevitable. Suddenly, the First Lady was a target of a vicious campaign to sully her image.

She was portrayed as an extravagant woman who spent lavishly during shopping expeditions in Western capitals. This was all part of a campaign to equate her with the wives of fallen dictators such as Ferdinand Marcos (Imelda) of the Philippines and Nicolae Ceausescu (Elena) of Romania who were known for their penchant for lavish spending.

The running dogs in the Western media were readying themselves for the imminent toppling of the Zimbabwean government and its replacement by their pliant Trojan Horses in the opposition. Gladly, this was not to be. The First Lady stood by the President throughout this turbulent period and continued to give succor and comfort to her family.

Cde Mugabe has often remarked how he draws comfort from the fact that he has a strong wife who, like himself, can pack a potent punch. This was evident during her Meet the People tours where she single-handedly neutralised the putschist cabal led by former Vice President Joice Mujuru.

The moniker, “Stop It” was coined during this period as the First Lady used it time and again to dissuade members of the group from continuing with their nefarious activities. Zimbabweans were stunned.

Never before had they imagined the President’s wife to be a political force in her own right. They had always seen her as a Mother of the Nation — a comforting and loving figure who loved children and was always at hand to assist the underprivileged.

But this was a new Amai Mugabe ready to confront the forces of evil who were plotting to unseat the very leader who catapulted them to the top. This was betrayal at its worst and she couldn’t just watch them as they took advantage of President Mugabe’s huge heart.

History will record that the First Lady extinguished the Gamatox threat and saved Zimbabwe from descending into anarchy. As the Secretary for the Women’s League, Amai Mugabe is here to stay and is now a force to be reckoned with on the country’s political landscape.

Now that the nation has seen what she is capable of, woe betide anyone who tries to manoeuvre their way into power through the back door.

As a mother, the First Lady has excelled. You only had to watch her as she proudly presided over the wedding of her only daughter Bona to Simba Chikore last year to see the good job she had done in raising her.

So as she celebrates a thoroughly deserved half a century of birthdays, we can only say congratulations, amhlophe, makorokoto Cde First Lady on this momentous occasion.