POLITICAL analysts have urged anti-corruption agencies to launch investigations into alleged corrupt business moguls and “tenderpreneurs” after raising alarm about what they described as a growing case of State capture.
The controversial dealings of certain business tycoons have become a source of daily frustration for struggling Zimbabweans, leading to mounting public anger and erosion of confidence in the country’s leadership.
The issue gained prominence when Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga warned corrupt shadowy businessmen, commonly referred to as zvigananda, saying their day of reckoning was coming.
Political analyst Tendai Ruben Mbofana noted that political patronage was turning beneficiaries into “stooges” of the controversial donors.
“This patronage has divorced the [government] from the suffering of the people,” Mbofana said during an X space hosted by CITE titled Politics of Cars: Patronage, Power and Accountability in Zimbabwe.
“Society is now rotten to the core and controlled by the elite who see themselves as the owners of Zimbabwe.
“These donors know that once they give people cars, they become stooges that can be controlled.
“That is abnormal; in a normal country, these people would have been investigated.”
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He referenced the allegations to reports that Chiwenga allegedly complained about Zanu PF’s stake in Sakunda Holdings during a recent politburo meeting.
“It is more like he is capturing the State,” Mbofana said.
“Philanthropy is not giving to people who already have.
“Effectively, we have a few people who are capturing the State in Zimbabwe.”
He called for a commission of inquiry, similar to South Africa’s Zondo Commission, to uncover the root of the rot.
Political analyst Rejoice Ngwenya described the high profile donations as “unethical” and “illegal”, urging anti-corruption agencies to investigate.
“There is nothing wrong with donations in a materialistic society, but giving to individuals is wrong,” Ngwenya said.
“Why give to individuals rather than the political party as a whole?”
“Why wait until elections or a debate about 2030 to donate cars?”
Ngwenya said politics, money and corruption were intertwined.
“We are not mirroring a good image internationally,” he said.
“Anti-corruption agencies are supposed to ask questions.
“These individuals should bury their heads in shame; they are explicit in this conundrum.”
The call for an inquiry follows a spree of lavish donations.
Businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei recently donated over 300 luxury vehicles to Zanu PF central committee members, shortly after reportedly contributing US$2 million towards President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s birthday celebrations.
Convicted fraudster Wicknell Chivayo splashed over US$5 million in cash and vehicle donations in just five days, raising questions about the source of his wealth.
