PART 1- By A Correspondent | ZimEye | Analysis | At last, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has approved the world’s best and most advanced internet company, Starlink.
The development is a major boost as it puts Zimbabwe ahead of many African countries in approving the technology that will soon see cellphones obtaining direct transmission from satellites above.
What is it that people are not being told? There are several blindspots which ZimEye now explores and exposes.
a) Suspicious Prosecution – The first issue is that the whole arrest and prosecution of ZANU PF Spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa’s son, was a war between Wicknell Chivayo’s IMC company and Neville’s project.
Chris’s wife, Monica Mutsvangwa while Information Minister wanted to shove the Starlink contract to her son, Neville (who is in business with Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi.) That is when the clash started.
The tussle has between Chivayo and the Mutsvangwa’s who boast of over 3 decades in telecommunications technological expertise, of which the husband announces, “I am the one who made Strive Masiyiwa successful, he doesn’t want to acknowledge it,” and the wife is listed in a UN publication for among others that, “Monica commands an exceptional business acumen. She has been a Director of Moncris Consultancy Pvt Ltd since 1991. The company has championed major business initiatives and has over the years executed a number of revolutionary projects in the national economy.
These include working with Tsingshan Holdings Group ranked number 238 on the Global Fortune 500 list of companies, to establish flagship projects in Zimbabwe, among them the US$ 1.2 billion DISCO Mvuma-Chivhu-Manhize Steel Plant, the Dinson Metallurgical Coke Batteries in Hwange and Ferrochrome Furnaces in Selous.”
Chivayo’s battle for govt contracts began in 2013 when he signed up for the controversial Gwanda Solar tender barely a few years from his release from prison. Fast forwards to 2024, 9 years after mismanaging USD5million ZESA money, and being criticised for it by Mnangagwa, Chivayo has gone into league with key members of the First Family.
This end time battle has historic similarities to the Joice Mujuru- Strive Masiyiwa tiff of the 1990s that saw the then Telecommunications Minister Mujuru refuse the Econet Wireless founder a license. The only difference at present is that there is no Masiyiwa equivalent, the current players are all members of the same in-house, ZANU PF against its own businessmen.
This article series offers an investigative commentary into Zimbabwe’s Starlink saga, delving deeply into its historical intricacies and projecting the industry’s future. Join us as we unravel the untold stories and unveil the transformative potential that lies ahead.