Mystery prevailed over the fate of Robert Mugabe on Sunday night as he sensationally failed to resign as Zimbabwe’s president.
But uncertainty also remains over the fate of second wife Grace, whose drive for power prompted the military takeover of government.
Dubbed ‘Gucci’ Grace because of her habit of going on lavish spending sprees while her countrymen starved, the 53-year-old is now believed to be under house arrest in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare.
Grace Mugabe, 53, the wife of deposed Zimbabwean dictator Robert (pictured together last week), is believed to be under house arrest in the capital Harare
It is not clear what will happen to Mrs Mugabe, dubbed Gucci Grace because of her love of spending sprees (pictured in Paris in 2003), now her husband has agreed to resign
But unlike her 93-year-old husband, she has not been seen in public since Mnangagwa, backed by the military, took control of the country earlier this week.
What we do know is that she has been expelled from her post as head of the Zanu-PF Women’s League ‘forever’ and expelled from the party itself.
Three cabinet members who had formed the backbone of her G40 political faction have also been expelled, and reports have begun circulating of prosecutions being brought against them.
It is unclear whether Grace will also be prosecuted, and it is understood that Mugabe demanded guarantees over her safety in his negotiations with the military.
Reuters also reported that Mugabe is trying to guarantee the safety of his two sons with Grace, Chatunga and Robert Jr., who are currently living in South Africa.
It was Grace’s hunger for power and her desire to replace her husband as Zimbabwe’s ruler that ultimately led to him being deposed
It was Grace who demanded the removal of Emmerson Mnangagwa (pictured together last year) on charges of disloyalty after she was booed at a rally
On Sunday Chatunga posted a defiant status on Facebook hours before his father resigned. He wrote: You can’t fire a Revolutionary leader!
‘Zanu Pf is nothing without President Mugabe. Gushungo will always remain the champion of champions! Proud of you Gushungo Proud of Dad. Gushungo always and forever to death!’
Little is known about the whereabouts of Chatunga and Robert, who are notorious for posting videos of their lavish party-hard lifestyle on social media, but have been notably quiet since the takeover began.
Grace’s downfall began on November 3 at a rally in Bulawayo when she was booed, telling the crowd: ‘Go ahead, I don’t care, I am powerful.’
Two days later Mr Mnangagwa was sacked, accused of orchestrating the unrest, and four of his supporters were arrested.
He fled to South Africa and remained there for 10 days before returning at the head of a column of tanks in Harare, where he took power for himself.
The location and fate of Chatunga and Robert Jr, Grace’s sons with Mugabe, is also not clear. The pair were living in South Africa before their father was deposed, and Chatunga posted this statement on Facebook on Sunday
Grace married Robert Mugabe in 1996 in a £600,000 ceremony, and her lifestyle only grew more extravagant from there, spending a reported £2million on luxuries in 2014
Before being ousted, Grace was known as the First Lady Of Shopping, had splashed £3million on her daughter’s wedding, bought luxury homes around the world and recently paid £300,000 for a Rolls-Royce.
During one shopping spree in Paris in 2002, she managed to spend £120,000.
Grace, a former chicken seller, began an affair with Robert Mugabe while working as one of his typists and while his first wife, Sally, was terminally ill.
Mugabe’s marriage to Grace in 1996, dubbed the ‘Wedding of the Century’ in Zimbabwe, was an extravagant Catholic affair.
Each decade of the old dictator’s life was marked with ever more expensive partying — his 90th year being marked by a celebration costing £600,000.
By 2014 her spending on luxury goods was running at £2million a year.
That year’s shopping list included 12 diamond rings, 62 pairs of Ferragamo shoes, 33 pairs made by Gucci and an £80,000 Rolex watch.
After one trip to London, where she stayed in a suite at Claridge’s, Mrs Mugabe was asked how she could justify spending so much on designer shoes.
‘I have very narrow feet, so I can only wear Ferragamo,’ came the reply.