Lipstick shopping demystifies Mugabe's aura

So my president has been shopping for some lipstick? How absolutely cute, not to mention sweet! Who ever thought we would ever see the softer, feminine side of our beloved Bob Mugabe? It must be true that underneath every tough exterior, there is always a supressed softie, itching to come out!


Anyone who has seen the siren blasting presidential motorcade (nicknamed Bob and the Wailers) whisking down the highways of Harare, will testify as the almost surreal image that the Zimbabwean president portrays. The sight of Zim 1, his Mercedes S600 Pullman limo speeding at breakneck speed, encircled by a convoy of motorbikes, armoured cars, trucks and ambulances, almost convinces one that he is untouchable and invincible. On top of that, media footage of him eloquently denouncing his foes, giving George Bush and others the middle finger makes him appear as the quissentential tough cookie.


It is therefore quite ironic that despite having stringent security measures, Mugabe recently found himself trapped in a New York drugstore, at the mercy of a lone protesting customer. Even more ironic is that all this happened in the USA, a country where he is not welcome and can only enter if he is visiting the UN. Add also to that, the fact that a man ranked high on the merciless world dictators' list was lipstick shopping and you have the ingredients of an unexpected thriller, its plot rich in twists and turns.


We as men tend to underestimate the power of woman. We avoid buying clothing and cosmetics for our loved ones because nine and a half times out of ten, we buy the wrong thing or can never seem to shop in the right place that has in stock what we were instructed to buy. For a man who will think nothing of brushing aside a supreme court order, a SADC tribunal desicion, or a United Nations resolution, it becomes interesting to see Mugabe going all out to personally make the lipstick purchase. Unless of course that was a clever decoy and there were more serious purchases made at the drug store (such as life saving drugs), I have to take my hat off to Grace Mugabe or whichever lady is responsible for this unexpected retail adventure!