By A Correspondent| ZANU PF Deputy Women’s League chairperson and cabinet minister Monica Mutsvangwa has taken a veiled jab at President Emmerson Mnangagwa and controversial businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei, openly criticising the use of money and secret meetings to influence party decisions.
In a fiery address delivered at a recent party meeting, Mutsvangwa warned against “kitchen cabinet politics” and individuals who use wealth to manipulate internal Zanu PF processes.
Her remarks come amid growing discontent within the ruling party following Tagwirei’s surprise appointment to the powerful Central Committee — a move widely seen as engineered by Mnangagwa outside normal party channels.
“We will not accept things that are decided at someone’s home,” said Mutsvangwa in a thinly veiled reference to Mnangagwa’s Precabe Farm, which has reportedly become the President’s unofficial command centre for party and government business.
She also appeared to criticize Tagwirei’s influence in the party, warning against the corrupting power of money in Zanu PF’s affairs.
“Hatidi vanhu vanofunga kuti vanogona kushandisa mari ku divider vanhu, vanhu vanongoda kudiwa zvaitwa na Mai Kuzhanje izvi (We do not want people who think they can use money to divide others,)” Mutsvangwa said. “If money was what kept someone in power, Ian Smith would still be ruling today.”
Tagwirei, a controversial business tycoon often linked to state capture and corruption scandals, was recently elevated to the party’s Central Committee, bypassing traditional grassroots structures. His influence, amplified by vast economic interests and close ties to Mnangagwa, has sparked unrest within Zanu PF’s rank and file.
Mutsvangwa, a seasoned politician and liberation war veteran, reminded her audience that the party’s historical strength came from unity, discipline, and democratic processes — not from wealth or elite backdoor deals.
“We succeeded [during the liberation struggle] because we followed the party’s direction… We accept outcomes from proper processes, but Zanu PF is not someone’s private property,” she added.
Her comments mark a rare but significant public rebuke from within Mnangagwa’s inner circle, exposing deepening cracks over the President’s alleged personalization of power and growing reliance on unelected elites like Tagwirei.