By Sizalobuhle Khumalo

Independent social commentators have described the move by former US diplomats and State Department officials to lobby for the rescinding of the Harvard University Honorary Ambassadorship conferred on First Lady, Mrs Auxillia Mnangagwa, as out of line and primitively imperialistic.

Mzwandile Ndlovu said, “I think the former diplomats are out of line too. This is not their forte. This business of wanting to use any platform to advance US foreign policy is primitively imperialistic. Harvard should make its own decisions. It doesn't matter that I have a low opinion of Auxillia.”

Clinical Trial and Project Management specialist, Thabisa Sibanda, came to the defence of the First Lady, saying in the last two years, she has done a lot of cancer prevention work in Zimbabwe.

Sibanda said, “(Mrs) Auxilla Mnangagwa has done a lot for Cancer prevention and HIV prevention and treatment in Zimbabwe… she is not her husband. She deserved some recognition. I don't agree with this campaign against Harvard for recognizing her.”

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Energy Mutodi, has lashed out at ex-US diplomats grouping their letter as being full of hate and malice.

Mutodi said “we believe their letter to Harvard is full of hate, malice, jealousy and a racist-induced disbelief that a black woman can be honoured by such a high-ranking university.”

Havard University is yet to respond to the highly partriachial, chauvinistic and neo-colonial laden lobby by erstwhile US Ambassadors to Zimbabwe.