By A Correspondent
Controversial businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei has been co-opted into the Zanu PF Central Committee, in a surprise move that has intensified speculation over his growing political clout and potential positioning as President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s successor.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Zanu PF secretary for legal affairs Patrick Chinamasa confirmed Tagwirei’s elevation, describing it as a “breath of fresh air” for the party’s fortunes in urban areas, particularly Harare.
“From being, for a long time, a dormant but committed Zanu PF party cadre, loyally working quietly and outside the public limelight or glare, holding some low-ranking position in some Zanu PF Party District under Harare Province, your recent co-option into the Zanu PF Central Committee is a breath of fresh air and will certainly be impactful to Zanu PF’s political fortunes in Harare City and perhaps in other urban settings as well,” Chinamasa said.
The move is being read by insiders and analysts as a strategic shift that places Tagwirei—long considered a behind-the-scenes power broker—closer to the core of the ruling party’s leadership, raising eyebrows within and outside the party.
“I am, of course, referring to Dr Kudakwashe Tagwirei, who has recently been co-opted into the Zanu PF Central Committee by the Zanu PF Harare Provincial Council,” Chinamasa continued. “I have no hesitation in assuring those of us who are skeptics that Harare Province will never be the same again.”
He likened Tagwirei’s political emergence to a natural force: “Cde Tagwirei, who has erupted from his dormant state like a volcano, is destined to add value to our deliberations as a Zanu PF Central Committee.”
Chinamasa also warned of criticism and backlash likely to follow Tagwirei’s appointment, amid longstanding public scrutiny over the businessman’s vast influence in the economy and his links to state institutions.
“Welcome aboard, Cde Tagwirei, and brace yourself to the fact that there will be malcontents out there who will bay for your blood and try to throw mud at you with a view to seeking to tarnish your reputation,” said Chinamasa. “I know you are made of sterner stuff and that you can take any brickbats and insults in your stride.”
He concluded with a cryptic flourish: “Those who have eyes, let them ‘eye,’ and those who have ears, let them ‘ear.’ Nokuti hatigoni kurega kutaura izvo takaona neizvo takanzwa.” (“Because we cannot remain silent about what we have seen and heard.”)
As Tagwirei enters the political spotlight officially, questions now swirl around whether his ascent signals deeper shifts within Zanu PF’s succession dynamics.