At first glance, this information may not arouse much interest. But, Zimbabwe is no ordinary country and Robert Mugabe is no ordinary President. Once called the "breadbasket of southern Africa", Zimbabwe has been reduced to a beggar nation where about 5 million of its people are reduced to handouts of food by the United Nations. Unemployment is at 94%, the annual inflation is at 200,000,000% (yes, that's right), and Z$100 trillion currency notes were recently issued by the Central Bank. Elections have been stolen, the opposition leader beaten to a pulp, and his supporters beaten up, burned, or murdered. Productive farms run by white farmers have been sized, the farmers killed or driven away, and the handed over to or land taken by people who have no knowledge of farming. Mugabe is accused of killing thousands of opposition supporters in the 1980s. A cholera epidemic has so far killed over 3000 people and infected more than 50,000 others. Zimbabwe defies description, but "a living hell" might be apt.
When Bona Mugabe applied for admission to HKU, the university knew all this. So, instead of turning the application down, what did they do? They admitted her under an assumed name! An HKU spokesperson is quoted in the Sunday Morning Post as saying that "we believe that education is above politics and that young people should not be denied the right to education because of their family background or what their parents have done". Bullshit!
Let me state the actual reason. All the universities in Hong Kong are desperate to be called "world class" universities and want to attract international students, whatever their background. (The Mainland Chinese students they attract are not really "international" and are highly subsidized by the Hong Kong taxpayers, anyway. But that's another story.) In fact, Gona Mugabe had first applied to the Chinese University and had been turned down only because her high school grades were so low.
Why should the sins of parents prevent their children from acquiring an international education? Because the starving children of Zimbabwe are denied even the basic rights to an education as a result of the Mugabes' misrule. It's as simple as that.
The Mugabes, along with members of the ruling clique in Zimbabwe, are barred from entry to the United States, the European Union, and some other countries. Australia is reported to have expelled eight students whose parents are senior members of the Mugabe regime. But, of 't course, we don't care as long as they are international students. I do have a suggestion? Why won't Miss Mugabe apply to a university on the Mainland? She would be welcome there. After all, China is the main supporter of Mugabe's repressive regime.
Grace Mugabe attacking a journalist in Central.
While Zimbabwe collapses and its people starve, the Mugabe's have enjoyed a holiday in Asia. While Robert Mugabe stayed in Singapore, his wife flew to Hong Kong and installed herself in the £600-a-night Harbour suite on the 18th floor of the Shangri-La Hotel. Her party were ferried around in black limousines costing £60 an hour.
According to the Times Online of January 18th, Grace Mugabe is more than 40 years younger than her 84-year-old husband. "Formerly his secretary and mistress, she finally married him in 1996 after the death of his wife of 30 years. Since becoming first lady, she has spent a fortune on foreign shopping trips, built a mansion in Harare, dubbed Gracelands, and acquired several formerly white-owned farms. Once, when asked why she spent thousands on expensive Ferragamo shoes while her people starved, she replied: “I have very narrow feet, so I wear only Ferragamo.” She used to indulge her passion for shopping in the boutiques of Paris, New York and London. But when America and the European Union imposed sanctions on the Mugabes and their cronies they turned to the Far East."
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