Tagwirei splurges $21 million on Zanu PF vehicles amid state capture storm 

HARARE – Petroleum tycoon Kudakwashe Tagwirei has splashed out more than US$21 million on vehicles for Zanu PF’s central committee members, reigniting uproar over his alleged capture of the ruling party and deepening internal divisions over succession.

The businessman – nicknamed Queen Bee for his vast influence in government and the economy – has reportedly ordered 300 brand new vehicles for the central committee, with more tranches planned for other party structures.

Tagwirei’s earlier attempt to make the donation had been blocked by senior Zanu PF figures, including Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and secretary general Obert Mpofu. A compromise has now been struck: the vehicles will be registered as Zanu PF assets, giving Mpofu authority to recall them should disputes arise.

On Friday, President Emmerson Mnangagwa presided over a ceremony at the party’s Harare headquarters, handing over the first 30 vehicles to selected beneficiaries. The remainder will be distributed in phases.

Party insiders say the rollout will start with the central committee before extending to deputy secretaries and politburo members, then provincial leaders, and finally District Coordinating Committee (DCC) members.

The extravagance comes just days after Chiwenga tabled a dossier at a stormy politburo meeting accusing Tagwirei of siphoning billions from party coffers and recycling the funds into patronage schemes to buy loyalty and entrench his reported presidential ambitions.

Chiwenga demanded the arrest of Tagwirei along with three other businessmen he accused of state capture: gold dealer Scott Sakupwanya, GeoPomona boss Dilesh Nguwaya, and Wicknell Chivayo, a politically connected contractor.

The confrontation has widened rifts in Zanu PF, where speculation is rife about who will succeed Mnangagwa, now 83. While Chiwenga was long assumed to be the heir apparent, many in the party believe Tagwirei is quietly positioning himself as Mnangagwa’s preferred successor.

Tagwirei is under United States and United Kingdom sanctions for alleged corruption, illicit gold dealings and what Washington describes as “state capture by an elite network around the president.” Despite this, his business empire remains deeply entrenched in fuel, mining, banking and agriculture, consistently winning multi-billion-dollar state contracts.

Opposition and civil society voices have condemned the car donations as obscene in a country battling economic collapse, food shortages and decaying public services.

“They are unrelenting in their pursuit of an ill-fated 2030 agenda,” said former finance minister Tendai Biti, referring to Mnangagwa loyalists’ push to extend his rule beyond the 2028 elections.

Biti added: “They are tearing to smithereens any pretense of decency, legality or ethics. They have reduced the liberation movement into a commodity – one so cheap and gullible that criminals with an unquenchable desire for power have captured the state. Public funds laundered through cartels now represent an existential threat to our fragile nation.

“One day, forensic audits will expose these filthy funds. The urgent task is to protect the constitution – the only buffer against the privatisation of the state by bandits with a plan to rule Zimbabwe forever. We are at a crossroads. It’s time to say NO.”

For many Zanu PF officials in rural areas, however, the vehicles – mostly high-end Toyota and Isuzu double-cab pickups – are a prized campaign asset, allowing them to project wealth and reach voters in remote constituencies.

Still, even some within the party are uneasy.

Mnangagwa, addressing central committee members on Friday, told them: “You are representing your province. You are only the custodians of the vehicles – they are there to carry out party activities.”

The controversy comes ahead of Zanu PF’s annual conference in Mutare from October 13 to 18, where divisions over succession and the push to extend Mnangagwa’s term are expected to dominate.

Tagwirei’s shadow will loom large over the gathering – the shiny vehicles outside the conference venue making a statement about not only his growing influence but also acting as symbols of the party’s deepening crisis.