HARARE — A Social Media video featuring Tinotenda Tungwarara, daughter of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s close advisor Paul Tungwarara, has reignited outrage over the ruling elite’s lavish lifestyles amid Zimbabwe’s deepening economic crisis.
The video, circulating widely on social media this week, shows Tinotenda on a high-end shopping spree in Dubai, casually spending about US$10,000 on designer handbags and virtual-reality gadgets. She also reveals glimpses of the family’s luxury Dubai residence, which includes an elevator leading directly to her bedroom suite.
Paul Tungwarara, a long-time business associate and political confidant of President Mnangagwa, is known for his influence in state procurement and infrastructure projects. Opposition figures say the Dubai display underscores the “systemic corruption and looting” that has enriched the president’s inner circle while millions of Zimbabweans face soaring prices and a collapsing currency.
“Ordinary citizens are queuing for bread while those close to power flaunt wealth that can only be explained by unchecked corruption,” said an opposition spokesperson from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
“This is not just bad optics—it’s evidence of a state captured for private gain.”
Transparency International Zimbabwe has repeatedly called for investigations into unexplained wealth among senior government officials and their associates. No inquiry into Tungwarara’s business dealings has been revealed, and requests for comment to the Mnangagwa government and the Tungwarara family went unanswered.
Critics argue that the episode highlights a widening gap between Zimbabwe’s political elite and the struggling population. “This is the face of state capture,” said an independent economist in Harare.
“When those linked to the highest office display such extravagance abroad, it sends a clear message that public accountability is non-existent.”
The Dubai shopping video comes as Zimbabwe battles hyperinflation and a severe shortage of basic goods, further fuelling public anger at what opposition leaders call a government “addicted to self-enrichment at the people’s expense.”
