KEY POINTS
- Chiwenga condemned zvigananda culture of unexplained wealth.
- He warned youths against drugs and corruption.
- Succession politics intensify as zvigananda wealth comes under fire.
Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga has again taken aim at Zimbabwe’s shadowy business and political elite, known colloquially as zvigananda. Speaking during an Anti-Drug and Substance Abuse Campaign at New Highfield Roman Catholic Church on Sunday, Chiwenga criticized disunity in the country and condemned businessmen who flaunt wealth without clear sources of income.
His remarks, delivered before thousands of youths gathered for the anti-drug drive, carried thinly veiled references to Zanu PF benefactors, particularly Wicknell Chivayo, who has donated cars to ruling party loyalists.
Youth warned against drugs and corruption
Chiwenga lamented the toll of drug abuse on Zimbabwean youth, urging abstinence and discipline. He argued that shadowy financial dealings and zvigananda lifestyles were corroding the country’s moral fabric.
Without naming names, Chiwenga likened the zvigananda to ticks bloated with blood, accusing them of building phantom businesses with no traceable capital or enterprise.
Zvigananda wealth tied to political succession fight
The vice-president’s repeated attacks on zvigananda also highlight tensions in Zanu PF’s succession politics. Analysts say his warnings about corruption and unexplained wealth have been directed at factions aligned with President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Government’s alleged awarding of a $437 million cancer equipment tender to Chivayo’s six-month-old firm underscored the controversy. The firm’s listed address was later found to be a Johannesburg hotel room, fueling claims of phantom entrepreneurship.
Chiwenga vows day of reckoning for zvigananda
At a Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce gathering in June, Chiwenga warned that “the day of reckoning” was coming for zvigananda, saying corruption is a national security threat draining billions from the economy through smuggling and illicit flows.
He insisted real businesses are built on “hard work, discipline, sacrifice and value creation,” not opaque deals. His remarks, observers note, signal a direct challenge to rival factions pushing to extend Mnangagwa’s term to 2030 while backing businessmen like Kudakwashe Tagwirei as counterweights to his own ambitions.
