By Business Reporter – The Mnangagwa administration has raked in US$879 million in diaspora remittances in just five months—yet continues to hide behind the rhetoric of sanctions while looting national resources with zero accountability.

According to new data from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), the remittances reflect an 8 percent increase for the five months to May 2025 compared to the same period last year. Remittances now account for 16.1 percent of total foreign currency inflows, making the Zimbabwean Diaspora the country’s second-largest source of hard currency after mineral exports.

This sharp rise in remittances, despite worsening economic conditions at home, highlights the resilience and commitment of Zimbabweans abroad who continue to support their families and communities amid a collapsed local economy.

However, while Zimbabweans in the Diaspora sacrifice to keep their families afloat, the Mnangagwa government continues to mismanage public funds, loot national resources, and divert foreign inflows to enrich a politically connected elite.

Billions in mineral revenues, particularly from gold, lithium, and platinum, have reportedly disappeared under Mnangagwa’s watch with no transparent accounting systems in place.

Instead of fixing the broken governance and accountability systems, the regime blames economic hardships on sanctions—a narrative increasingly rejected by economists and civil society who point to grand corruption, policy inconsistency, and crony capitalism as the real culprits.

With remittances rising and public service delivery collapsing, critics say the Mnangagwa government is relying on Diaspora money as a lifeline while offering no structural reforms or transparency in return.

The situation has sparked renewed calls for a national audit of foreign inflows, a crackdown on illicit financial flows, and constitutional reforms to curb executive abuse of power in managing public funds.

As long as remittances prop up a corrupt and unaccountable system, analysts warn that Zimbabweans abroad may unwittingly be funding the very regime responsible for their families’ suffering at home.