Published: 7 hours ago

Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa has publicly rebuked controversial businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei following his failed bid to join the party's Central Committee, accusing him of attempting to use money and influence to bypass the party's constitutional processes.

Tagwirei, a wealthy businessman with strong links to Zimbabwe's political and economic elite, was endorsed in May by Zanu-PF Harare provincial chairperson Godwills Masimirembwa for co-option into the powerful Central Committee, which serves as the party's highest decision-making body between congresses. However, his bid fell apart earlier this month when he was ejected from a Central Committee meeting, with the party clarifying that his appointment had not yet been ratified.

Reports surfaced that Tagwirei, said to harbour presidential ambitions, had allegedly offered top-of-the-range vehicles to members of the Politburo and Central Committee in a bid to smoothen his path into the party's leadership structures. This move was widely interpreted as an attempt to buy influence within the ruling party.

Addressing journalists on Monday, Mutsvangwa delivered a blunt assessment of Tagwirei's conduct, warning that wealth and influence count for little in the party's internal processes.

"There could have been an issue of bribes or cars and money, an issue of peddling influence, but in Zanu-PF, it really doesn't pay," Mutsvangwa said. "We are a party of long institutional memory about where we came from. Along the way, we acquired knowledge about how we administer our party from our past experiences."

Explaining Tagwirei's removal from the Central Committee meeting, Mutsvangwa said the Zanu-PF constitution is clear on how one becomes a member of the influential organ. He said Harare province's recommendation for Tagwirei was considered but ultimately found wanting.

"Harare province might have had aspirations for him to become a Central Committee member, but the party has its leadership. The recommendations of Harare province were assessed on whether they satisfy the eligibility criteria. Sadly, for Harare province, it wasn't the case. Their bid to support him was not successful," Mutsvangwa said.

He stressed that while businesspeople are welcome in Zanu-PF, they must follow established processes.

"You can always go back and start again and go through the processes. If you finally meet the tick box, you may find yourself in the Central Committee. But for the time being, you may not be satisfying those conditions," he said.

Mutsvangwa was particularly scathing of Tagwirei's alleged use of financial inducements to curry favour with party elites.

"Elections are done by mass universal suffrage. So, can you afford to bribe all provinces, the whole country, with the money you made? We know the origin of that money. Do not try to use it against this party's popularity or the voting public," said Mutsvangwa.

He reminded business elites like Tagwirei that Zanu-PF's power is rooted in popular support and sacrifice, not wealth.

"Respect the party which made them what they are and do not try to use the money whose origin is the stewardship of this party and the way it has run this economy. It will not work," Mutsvangwa said.

"I want Zimbabweans to be confident that Zanu-PF, as a mass party, will not compromise on the integrity of the vote as the only way we express leadership in this country. Any system which tries to subvert the vote through inducements will not work in Zanu-PF because it barks against the trade of sacrifice," he added.

Tagwirei has remained silent on the accusations, but the incident has further fuelled speculation about his growing ambitions within the political sphere and the uneasy relationship between wealth and power in Zimbabwe's ruling party.
- NewZimbabwe

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