HARARE — President Emmerson Mnangagwa has handed over yet another consignment of vehicles to senior ZANU PF loyalists, deepening concerns over a growing culture of patronage as essential public services continue to crumble across the country.
The latest ceremony saw members of the ZANU PF Elders Council being presented with new vehicles “to enhance mobility” and bolster party programmes. Mnangagwa also distributed laptops, iPads and iPhones to the ruling party’s Information and Publicity Department, marking yet another round of resource allocations directed at strengthening the party’s internal machinery.
The gesture adds to a long list of vehicle handovers in recent years—from chiefs, war veterans and youth leaders to provincial structures—often occurring against a backdrop of worsening social and economic conditions. Critics say the timing reflects widening disconnect between the ruling elite and ordinary citizens.
While party officials celebrated the President’s gesture, residents in towns and cities continue to endure collapsing water delivery systems, raw sewage flowing through streets, mounting refuse, pothole-ridden roads, drug shortages in clinics, and intermittent power cuts that disrupt homes and businesses. Teachers, nurses and other frontline workers remain underpaid, and many schools and hospitals are operating with outdated equipment.
Analysts argue that such high-profile donations reinforce political loyalty rather than addressing urgent national needs. They warn that channelling state resources into party structures diverts attention and funding away from service delivery, infrastructure rehabilitation and social protection at a time when the cost of living is rising and households are under severe strain.
Mnangagwa’s repeated handovers, they say, highlight an entrenched system where public resources are frequently deployed to maintain political allegiance, even as the majority of Zimbabweans face deteriorating living standards and chronically underfunded local services.
