State of Grace

Zimbabwe's First Lady Grace Mugabe has ordered the destruction of a hundred family homes to make way for the expansion of her latest pet project - a children's orphanage. Making people homeless to house the parentless seems to be a reasonable offset for a woman more noted for her Harrods spending sprees rather than her compassion for others.

When completed, the state-of-the-art orphanage on 48 hectares of land, will have a children's home, a nursery, a school, a vocational training centre and a hospital. But that's not all. Also included in the development, are 30 five-bedroom houses, a shopping centre, a restaurant and guest chalets. Perhaps the inclusion of an orphanage was just enough to tug heartstrings at the planning office. Even Lady Macbeth has to go by the rules it seems.

While on the subject of orphans. I visited Chipangali wildlife sanctuary (Former patron Princess Diana) on the outskirts of Bulawayo the other day. They too are suffering. With no tourist revenue and hardly any local visitors, they are really struggling to look after and feed their animals. (I went on a Sunday which in the past was normally their busiest day and I was the only one there!)

To compound things, last year the orphanage lost its only two last remaining Rhinos, killed by poachers for their horns. It has also suffered numerous break-ins with heart-breaking consequences.

Chipangali director Kevin Wilson told me: "We used to have a domestic children's zoo in the Princess Diana Memorial Education Centre with rabbits, ducks, goats and sheep for the children to play with and touch. Unfortunately, they've all be stolen over the years for food."