Chiwenga attacks ‘corrupt’ Mnangagwa backers over ‘unproductive’ wealth

HARARE – Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has issued a sharp critique of ‘newly’ wealthy Zimbabweans who are seemingly aligned to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, questioning their spending priorities and urging them to channel their resources toward productive investments that support national development.

Addressing supporters recently, Chiwenga challenged affluent citizens who he said had accumulated significant wealth but were failing to reinvest it domestically.

“Some people wake up saying, ‘I am now rich, I now have money,’” he said. “Why don’t they build factories for people to get employment from that money if it’s excessive?”

He further expressed concern over what he described as wasteful or unproductive displays of wealth among sections of the elite.

Chiwenga coupled his remarks with a firm warning against over reliance on external capital, arguing that foreign investors could not be expected to drive Zimbabwe’s development.

“No foreigner is coming to build Zimbabwe on behalf of Zimbabweans,” he said, adding that outside players across mining, manufacturing and tourism were primarily interested in extracting local resources.

Although the Vice President did not name individuals, his comments come amid growing public scrutiny of prominent tenderpreneurs closely associated with Mnangagwa, including Wicknell Chivayo, Paul Tungwarara and Kudakwashe Tagwirei.

The businessmen have in recent months drawn attention for distributing vehicles and cash to Zanu-PF members as part of efforts to bolster support for the party’s Vision 2030 agenda.

Chiwenga’s remarks seemingly signal rising tensions within the ruling party. Chiwenga, who is opposed to the controversial 2030 agenda, is trying to align with the masses by condemning corruption.

Since 2017 when Chiwenga and Mnangagwa removed late former President Robert Mugabe from power through a military coup, the former Army General has been the frontrunner in the race to replace the current Zanu-PF leader when his term of office ends in 2028.

But this plan is gradually shifting with Mnangagwa seemingly preferring to anoint Tagwirei as the next Zanu-PF leader.