Fuel tycoon Kudakwashe Tagwirei has reignited controversy within Zanu-PF after splashing more than US$21 million on vehicles for central committee members, a move critics say underscores his growing capture of the ruling party and fuels divisions over succession.
Tagwirei, widely known as Queen Bee for his influence in business and politics, reportedly ordered 300 brand-new Toyota and Isuzu double-cab pickups for the party’s central committee, with further tranches earmarked for politburo, provincial and district leaders.
His earlier attempts to donate the fleet were blocked by Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga and secretary-general Obert Mpofu. A compromise deal now ensures the vehicles will be registered as Zanu-PF assets under Mpofu’s control, giving the party authority to recall them if disputes arise.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 83, handed over the first 30 vehicles at Zanu-PF headquarters in Harare on Friday, urging beneficiaries to “use them for party business” and stressing that they were custodians, not owners. Distribution will continue in phases, starting with central committee members before filtering down to other party structures.
The lavish gesture comes just days after Chiwenga accused Tagwirei of looting billions from state-linked contracts and recycling the funds into patronage networks to secure political influence. At a heated politburo meeting, he reportedly called for the arrest of Tagwirei alongside businessmen Scott Sakupwanya, Dilesh Nguwaya and Wicknell Chivayo, accusing them of state capture.
The row has widened rifts in Zanu-PF as succession speculation intensifies. While Chiwenga was once viewed as Mnangagwa’s heir-apparent, insiders say Tagwirei is quietly positioning himself as the president’s preferred successor.
Tagwirei, already under US and UK sanctions for alleged corruption, illicit gold dealings and his role in “state capture,” continues to dominate Zimbabwe’s fuel, mining, banking and agriculture sectors through lucrative state contracts.
Opposition figures condemned the donation as grotesque in a nation facing economic collapse and social decay. Former finance minister Tendai Biti said the ruling elite had “reduced the liberation movement into a commodity,” warning that cartels now posed an “existential threat” to the state.
“One day, forensic audits will expose these filthy funds. The urgent task is to protect the constitution against the privatisation of the state by bandits with a plan to rule forever,” Biti said.
For many rural Zanu-PF officials, however, the vehicles represent valuable campaign tools to project authority and mobilise voters. Yet even within the party, some members are reportedly uneasy with the optics of the donation.
The controversy comes ahead of Zanu-PF’s annual conference in Mutare (October 13–18), where debates over succession and Mnangagwa’s possible term extension are expected to dominate. With shiny new pickups likely to line the venue, Tagwirei’s shadow is set to loom over the gathering as a symbol of both his growing clout and the party’s deepening crisis.
Source – ZimLive
