BRENNA MATENDERE
FORMER cabinet minister Walter Mzembi says the Zanu PF politburo and the country’s cabinet are in a dilemma as to how to discuss the corruption scandals surrounding Wicknell Chivayo because the matter has President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the centre.
Mzembi, who was the foreign affairs minister when the military toppled then president Robert Mugabe in November 2017, said discussing the scandals threatens the existence of Zanu PF itself.
Posting on his account on microblogging platform X, Mzembi said the corruption scandals are in fact beyond the proportions of the 1980s Willogate scandal.
“Politburo met amidst the breaking out of the $40m Zecgate scandal contrary to social media reports suggesting a discussion of the matter, nothing was said nor raised, understandably so because a full exposé and forensic audit of Zecgate threatens the very existence of Zanu PF itself given the intractable involvement of officialdom in this saga,” said Mzembi.
“Today (26 June) the same Party Cabinet meets again in the background of the $87million Goatgate scandal + another $9million Toiletgate scandal again sucking in largely the same players only this time coming from a different factional grouping but holding damning evidence which could potentially suck the apex of the Party & Government into a mess exceeding Willowgate scandal proportions!”
Mzembi said what has perplexed Zanu PF and cabinet members is the fact that in November 2017, the late president Robert Mugabe was toppled in a coup on the basis of trying to remove “criminals around him”, yet more sophisticated thieves are now surrounding Mnangagwa.
“Zanu PF is caught between a rock and a hard place, its mantra against ‘criminals surrounding the President’ referring to the military’s decision to stand down Robert Mugabe from the office of President has come round 360° in the prophetic 7 years to haunt the man who benefited from his boss’s demise, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, only this time he appears to be surrounding the criminals himself! What happens next then going by the November 2017 standards?” asked Mzembi.
In one leaked audio, Chivayo is heard bragging that he has Mnangagwa in his pockets. To buttress his point, Chivayo adds that Mnangagwa actually calls him “my son” and he receives telephone calls from the head of state when he is out on foreign trips to discuss business deals.
In one of the recordings, Chivayo is heard boasting to fellow businessmen Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe, his accomplices in the Zec tender scandal, that he is untouchable because of his proximity to Mnangagwa.
Chivayo got a windfall from the Zec deal worth over US$40 million to supply electoral material for the August 2023 general elections.
Chimombe and Mpofu, through Better Brands Security (Pvt) Ltd, entered into an agreement with Ren-Form CC on 13 February 2023 to participate in the electoral tenders.
Working in cahoots with Ren-Form officials, Chivayo later fraudulently amended the agreement to remove his business partners before grabbing 66% of the payment.
“I have deals with the police, immigration and many more. Keep collecting, do not be greedy, just bring new work. There is no need to be greedy or trying aiming high,” Chivayo is heard boasting in the audio.
“I am holding this thing in my hand. When (Mnangagwa) went to Italy, I walked him to his airplane where he proceeded to bid farewell and called me his son.”
“I am inside the President’s circle. Take advantage of that, do not eat from where I would have worked or from what caused problems for us in the past.”
Mnangagwa in essence appeared shoulder-to-shoulder with Chivayo receiving Kenyan President William Ruto who officially opened the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo.
A day before, Mnangagwa had also appeared with Chivayo touring the exhibition stands.
Before that, during the Easter celebrations of the Zion Christian Church in Mbungu, Mnangagwa again appeared with Chivayo on the podium, with social media posts suggesting they used the same presidential private jet to travel to the venue.
