Tagwirei Outshines Mutsvangwa26 July 2025
By A Correspondent – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday played golf and shared laughs with his embattled ally and corruption-linked businessman, Kudakwashe Tagwirei, in a public show of solidarity that starkly underlined deepening divisions within ZANU PF.
The optics were striking: as the party reels from an increasingly bitter feud between Tagwirei and ZANU PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa, Mnangagwa appeared unfazed—celebrating camaraderie with Tagwirei on the golf course rather than addressing the chaos tearing through his inner circle.
Even state-ownedThe Heraldcouldn’t ignore the moment, reporting: “President Mnangagwa is joined in the putting challenge by Dr Kudakwashe Tagwirei… Dr Tagwirei starts with a flawless shot for Team ED.”
Mnangagwa’s public bonding with Tagwirei comes amid fierce internal resistance from Mutsvangwa and others to block the businessman’s elevation to the powerful ZANU PF Central Committee. The ongoing clash has laid bare the President’s tendency to foster factionalism through silence and selective favouritism, rather than playing the unifying role expected of a national leader.
“This is classic Mnangagwa,” a political analyst noted. “He lets his lieutenants destroy each other while he pretends to stay above the fray. But the cost is growing disunity and instability.”
The fallout intensified last week when Mutsvangwa launched a scathing public attack on Tagwirei, accusing him of trying to buy political influence through extravagant donations and backdoor dealings. “Leadership isn’t for sale,” Mutsvangwa thundered at a press conference, touting his liberation war credentials and long service.
Tagwirei—often described as Mnangagwa’s financial enabler—quickly hit back via his X account, accusing Mutsvangwa of tarnishing his legacy and undermining his contributions to the party and country.
Their rivalry goes back over a decade, rooted in Mutsvangwa’s accusations that Tagwirei, via Sakunda Holdings, was given preferential access to public tenders and foreign currency, enriching himself at the expense of transparency. His controversial role in the loathed Command Agriculture scheme, said to have siphoned billions in public funds, remains a sore point.
Ironically, both men share a common enemy: Vice President Constantino Chiwenga. While Tagwirei and Mutsvangwa are united in their disdain for Chiwenga, their battle is ultimately a brutal contest over who will emerge as Mnangagwa’s closest ally as succession battles quietly rage behind ZANU PF’s closed doors.
“This is not just about policy or legacy. It’s about who controls Mnangagwa’s ear,” said a senior ZANU PF official. “He has allowed this infighting to fester, and that’s dangerous.”
Mnangagwa’s calculated silence and clear preference for Tagwirei have further fractured party unity, with insiders warning that his leadership style—marked by patronage, silence in the face of internal turmoil, and strategic aloofness—could backfire as the post-Mnangagwa future begins to take shape.
Source: ZimEye
Source: ZimEye
