QUOTES: Mutsvangwa claims cartel boss Queen B causing divisions between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga

Over the weekend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s advisor Christopher Mutsvangwa gave a blockbuster interview to the Zimbabwe Standard in which he made stunning accusations that Sakunda Holdings boss and Zanu PF benefactor Kudakwashe Tagwirei (known as Queen B) is causing friction between President Mnangagwa and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.

We summarise the devastating quotes from Mutsvangwa;

“He is dividing the presidium. How can a businessman have preferences in the presidium? That is trying to turn the country into a banana republic.

“Tagwirei’s business gets about US$80 to US$90 million every month for fuel from the RBZ, yet many companies, some of them largest fuel dealers in the world, want to come and invest in the fuel industry in the country.

“You can ask [Energy] minister Joram Gumbo. There are many who want to come. We can’t have a whole country for one man.”

“One of the optimal conditions to attract investment is free competition. The RBZ is not a source of capital. Tagwirei relies on RBZ foreign currency allocation and claims to be a businessperson. I don’t respect such businesspeople.

“I know what I am saying. I have been fighting (former president Robert) Mugabe over creating an oligopoly since 2015 when this whole thing started.

“I can’t be faulted for moving against a monopoly and the whole country is against him. My crime is historical, for enlightening the Pope. I am the one who brought in a tobacco company from China, which has generated billions for the country.

“I also took small-scale gold miners to China and they are doing well, generating foreign currency, but the money is given to Tagwirei, why? Tobacco and gold are the two major sources of foreign currency. I also fought hard for chrome to be sold.

“All the hard-earned foreign currency is given to the RBZ and John Mangudya gives it to Tagwirei. Why can’t he go in the market to source his own foreign currency? How can someone have a business model that relies on RBZ foreign currency allocations? Taking from Peter to give Mary?

“If tobacco and gold producers can retain the money they raise, they can do better with it.”

“Taking money from panners and giving them digital dollars, phantom money while giving Tagwirei, whose business is simply to sit before a computer and invoice the RBZ, some hard dollars is just being cruel on Zimbabweans.

“Now that the public knows the truth, it is good. Tagwirei should simply tell the people what he has been doing with the money he was allocated by the RBZ and what makes him merit more allocation than others.

“All the problems Zimbabwe has been experiencing centre around fuel. The day his father died, the whole army went there, the whole government was closed.

“I was outraged, a single person closing government business; this is a sign of inordinate power. Where does it come from? “We want to know who is backing him. He should tell us how he ends up at the front queue of the RBZ, the political power behind him.

“I am against the whole philosophy of allocation of foreign currency and when the country had cholera, [Econet boss] Strive Masiyiwa provided $10 million, and when the country has a fuel crisis, Sakunda wants to cash in. He is using public infrastructure.

“How can a pipeline and underground fuel reserves built by the country end up being run by a private individual?  Why does he invoice in hard currency for a facility that belongs to the country?

“With its facilities, Zimbabwe should be a regional hub of fuel but for 20 years, it has had artificial shortages of fuel when it has the third largest facility in the world. Where have you found the army grow food for the population in the world? I was opposed to that,” Mutsvangwa said.