By Namatai Kwekweza

I strongly disagree with @TateMavetera politics however this is just wrong.

When women are promoted and elevated to positions of power, there is an over insistence on them having to show their credentials and the same demand and insistence for credentials is never done for men. I would hope we want to see something on the CVS of all the men appointed.

Far much more disappointing and enraging is the sexualization and success shaming.

Tatenda though a ZANU PF member is an active person who works hard and interacts with the women’s movement where she is visible, and well spoken. Let’s agree to disagree on our politics without using misogyny to devalue women in leadership.

The same way it’s wrong when it’s done to the brilliant women in CCC is the same way it is wrong when it is done to women in ZANU PF.

Respect women no matter which party you belong

With former television personality Tatenda Mavetera thrown into the mix, one needs very little imagination to describe Zimbabwe’s Cabinet that was sworn into office early this week following a sham election. And with two 2 ) Mutsvangwas, six (6) women and three ( 3 ) Mnangagwas, ED’s latest executive is basically a Studio 263 Cabinet of sorts!

There has been a furore over his latest appointments not only because he appointed his sons as Ministers but by dint of the clueless greenhorns therein ,some of them given to the naive frailty of plagiarism through copy and paste.

Once again, and for the second time in five years, ED has made the usual boob of appointing as Ministers a higher threshold of non-elected MPs as he should, leading to some of them being Ministers for only 24 hours, as he did in 2018. The monumental boob, the second one in five years, speaks volumes not only about the so -called President but of the calibre of the team around him, including one George Charamba, he of the high verbiage who communicates like a 1980s upper top student out to impress at the school assembly.

Not surprisingly, ED’s highly Karangized Ministerial team comprises nine Ministers who all come from Gutu. These are Winston Chitando, Barbra Rwodzi, Yeukai Simbanegavi, Amon Murwira, John Paradza, Obert Mazungunye, Tatenda Mavetera, Anxious Masuka and Lovemore Matuke,

For some, perhaps it is still fresh information that ED is simply a clanist, a base politician given to nepotism by dint of his close family members, cjans-men, clans-women as well as his Karanga tribesmen and tribeswomen he has foisted to top positions in both the party and the State since 2017..

Now with his Studio 263 Cabinet of two Mutsvangwas, six women and three Mnangangwas, ED has simply confirmed his thespian and nepotist credentials as a tribalist director of this tragi-comic soap.

But readers of this column will recall that I have previously unmasked this village EDiot masquerading as Zimbabwe’s Head of State for his clan and filial proclivities. ED is just but a brazen nepotist who not only steals elections but stuffs the entire State and party institutions with children, cousins, nephews and aunties.

Some have hinted that all indications point to the fact that Mnangagwa may have deliberately sworn in this clueless Cabinet well aware that these are temporary appointments pending either a fresh election or an inclusive government brokered by SADC. For him, maybe he fancies this so-called Cabinet simply as window-dressers, temporary appointments pending a decisive SADC resolution on Zimbabwe, much like the temporary cabin one erects on his stand before he builds the actual house.

Dear reader, following the 2017 coup and the stolen elections of 2018, I walked you through the list of relatives, brothers, cousins, nieces, uncles and long-time factionalists that ED had appointed into the party and government, some of whom have surfaced yet again in this clueless Cabinet of thespian comedians.

Mnangagwa’s appointments early this week of his children, clansmen, clanswomen and factionalists have simply reinforced what I wrote a few years ago when I revealed to you, my esteemed readers, the network of relatives factionalists and acolytes that the Croc had stuffed into the party and government since 2017 when he putsched his way into power.

In April 2021, I wrote the following piece where I revealed Mnangagwa’s vast and intricate network of his family, friends and relatives mainly of his Karanga tribe that he has stuffed into the top echelons of the party, government and quasi-State institutions.

Mnangagwa and_his _primitive ethnic villagisation of the party and State

We currently live in the brave, digital 21st century but in Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe finds itself saddled with an analogue authoritarian leader still pursuing the primitive politics of tribalism, regionalism, cronyism and villagism. He has pursued rchaic politics synonymous with the age of the Munhumutapa Empire and others at the time.

This instalment seeks to show that Mnangagwa, acting like a typical village clansman, who somehow ended up vested with state power, has systematically brought in family and a mainly Karanga clique from the Midlands and Masvingo provinces — a tribal coterie that has now been purposely deployed or retained in strategic party and State institutions as part of the regional and tribal politics of our so-called new dispensation.

It is a sad tale of Zuze comes to town, the story of the primitive commoner who brings his all to the city. In our case, Mnangagwa has brought relatives and cronies to the cradle of national power so they can share with him his privileged but stolen hour in the sun.

The mentality is crude, yet clear: It is our time to eat.Mugabe did it. His cronies and sister Sabina’s sons, including Leo Mugabe, were variously deployed to strategic institutions, while Patrick Zhuwao was a Cabinet minister in his uncle’s final hour.

Mugabe’s son-in-law, Simba Chikore, was deployed to head Air Zimbabwe and went on to form Zim Airways using public funds, while his other brother-in-law, Sydney Gata, husband to his sister Regina, was in charge at the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, the country’s power utility.

Others from the Mugabe family were seconded as executives to quasi-State institutions such as the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board and the Zimbabwe National Road Authority while Innocent Matibiri was the second-in command at the Zimbabwe Republic Police. There were other relatives in state institutions, including in ministries and institutions like the national prosecution or Attorney-General’s office.

At the time of his ouster, Mugabe’s wife, Grace, was the Zanu PF women’s league boss and was fancying her chances of occupying the highest office in the land.

Other non-state actors like businessman Philip Chiyangwa also name-dropped, calling themselves Gushungo, Mugabe’s clan name, to get favours from the State.

Of course, not all of Mugabe’s relatives benefitted from his rule. Some like Adam Molai, who is married to the Mugabe family, made their money in the private sector.

However, this naked nepotism and cronyism was rampant under Mugabe and that was one of the many reasons ED and company removed him from office.

But Mnangagwa claimed his so-called new dispensation was a break with this past — a dark and insidious past characterised by unadulterated clan and village politics.

But Mnangagwa’s promise was blatantly misleading. He has, in fact, entrenched and deepened the culture of tribalism and cronyism, showing he is Mugabe’s best student indeed.

In Mnangagwa’s case, it has been a systematic plot to use family, acolytes, tribesmen and cronies to take over arms and institutions of the State for self-aggrandisement.

We were in an equally insidious, so-called Second Republic or is it now third Republic in which Mnangagwa’s clansmen and tribesmen, nieces and nephews, friends and associates have all been strategically placed across a vast array of State and quasi-State institutions to protect and entrench narrow personal and clique interests.

Tribesmen and cronies, mainly from his Masvingo and Midlands home provinces, have been deployed, jointly and severally, to strategic spaces in both party and government. It is so blatant and shameless that it leaves Zimbabweans genuinely interested in appreciating diversity and nation-building cringing.

For a President to sit down and appoint his sons, village boys and tribal cronies as ministers and other key government officials in this day and age is cringeworthy.

Village politics at play

It all starts right from his village. While the Midlands is Mnangagwa’s adopted home province where he pursues his farming and mining interests, the man was born in the Mangwana area of Chivi in Masvingo province. That is what he considers his original home. That informs his politics and national or party deployment policy.

For instance, it is no wonder that Paul Mangwana, a fellow villager and close associate sits in the Zanu PF Politburo, while the brother Ndavaningi Nick Mangwana was brought in from the United Kingdom to become the chief government spokesperson in his capacity as the permanent secretary in the ministry of Media, Information and Broadcasting Services. Jasper Mangwana is a Commissioner in the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) while Lovedale Mangwana has been the incessant litigant recently used by Mnangagwa to judicialise our politics and to corruptly remove competition from the ballot paper.

Upon his appointment as Vice-President under Mugabe, Mnangagwa bequeathed his Chirumhanzu-Zibagwe parliamentary seat to his wife Auxilia ,while his nephew Tongai and Kudakwashe David, both Mnangagwas, are now Ministers of Government.

ED simply believes in keeping it all in the family.

Prominent lawyer Edwin Manikai is part of Mnangagwa’s ethnic networks from Chivi as well. His mother is a MaMoyo. In fact, insiders say his mother and Mnangagwa’s mother are siblings. Manikai is the chair of the Presidential Advisory Council. True, cousins and brothers have always advised each other — only this time Mnangagwa has institutionalised and ekavsted brotherly advice to State level!

Josiah Dunhira Hungwe, yet another Chivi homeboy, was always a close ally of Mnangagwa since the heady days of Zanu PF maverick Eddison Zvobgo’s era. Today, Vincent Hungwe, Mnangagwa’s Chivi homeboy, from the Vuranda area, is the chairperson of the Public Service Commission, responsible for the entire civil service of Zimbabwe.

Talk of the petty family, village and tribal politics.

Others have derisively referred to Mnangagwa’s regime as Moyo, Sibanda & Associates, given the intricate filial, totemic and tribal links of the key characters in the State. Before former Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo’s death, there was him in the network, his cousin brother Elson Moyo, who is the Air Force of Zimbabwe commander, Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) boss Director-General Isaac Moyo, Military Intelligence chief Thomas Moyo and Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander General Philip Valerio Sibanda — indeed Moyos and Sibandas — all from the Midlands.

The Sibandas are part of Mnangagwa’s family. Some of Mnangagwa’s family members also use the name Sibanda, derived from their Shumba totem. In Ndebele, Sibanda denotes Shumba in Shona.

It is no wonder therefore that upon Constantino Chiwenga’s appointment as Vice- President, Mnangagwa appointed his cousin Phillip Valerio Sibanda as commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

That is why there were genuine concerns when Mnangagwa at one point mulled appointing Valerio to take over as the co-Vice-President after Kembo Mohadi was forced to resign through well-choreographed state-sanctioned CIO leaks on his adulterous shenanigans.

Valerio Sibanda was ZAPU so there would not have been any allegations of flouring the unity accord, even though the army chief is his brother.

With a member of the family in charge of the country’s armed services in the aftermath of the coup, Sibanda’s appointment could be regarded as having been an overt case of coup-proofing in case the army got excited again as they had been in November 2017.

With a family member now in charge of the country’s armoury, any fears of yet another coup in the immediate to short term might have been sufficiently allayed.

Now that the restlessness in that regard appears to have been quelled with the attendant appointment of pliant brigadiers-general and key army staff across the board, Mnangagwa’s cousin was at one point seriously considered to go higher to checkmate the other Vice-President with the same military credentials.

And since the Sibandas are Mnangagwa’s cousins, it must come as no surprise therefore that Misheck Sibanda, another homeboy and relative of the President, was retained as the chief secretary to the President and Cabinet, even after the coup. This strategic post has been retained in the family.

The Rushwayas and Mnangagwa

The Rushwayas are Mnangagwa’s blood relatives. They are his nephews and nieces. Martin Rushwaya, a nephew, is currently the Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet responsible for administration and finance. The same Martin Rushwaya is a close relation to Henrietta Rushwaya and Helliet Rushwaya.

After the 2018 election, Helliet was appointed chief executive officer at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation entrusted with running government and the party’s propaganda, while Henrietta is that lady who was arrested at the airport with six kilogrammes of gold while in the company of a team of Mnangagwa’s personal bodyguards that included one Stephen Tserayi.

Henrietta is back at work at the Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation, despite facing serious charges that have since collapsed like a deck of cards, charges which expose the massive leakages in the country’s extractive industry.

Dear reader, I hope it is all making sense now.

The Moyos in key positions

Mnangagwa’s mother is a MaMoyo and the Moyos are his maternal uncles. Obediah Moyo, a maternal uncle, was appointed minister of Health and Child Care in the early days of the previous administration but was later suspended from government following his arrest on corruption charges.

Isaac Moyo, yet another maternal uncle of Mnangagwa, was recalled from South Africa where he was serving as the country’s ambassador. He is now the head of the CIO, while Elson Moyo, yet another maternal uncle, took over from the late Perrance Shiri and is now the head of the Air Force of Zimbabwe.

In the ministry of Agriculture, Shiri was replaced by yet another Mnangagwa ally and clansman, Anxious Masuka.All of Mnangagwa’s anxiety in the agricultural sector may have now been quashed as the highly political Pfumvudza programme is firmly in the hands of his faction loyalist and Karanga tribesman.

Masuka was retained as Agriculture Minister early this week

And still on the Moyos: July Moyo, for long the Lacoste faction’s chief strategist, has just yet again just been retained a Cabinet Minister but with a different portfolio.

SB Moyo, the deceased minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, was also an uncle, but being a soldier, his allegiance was more to Chiwenga and this may yet explain a lot of imponderables, maybe including why he is not with us today.

Mnangagwa has always had political interests in Kwekwe, where he “discovered” Owen Mudah Ncube, who began as a mushurugwi , a machete-wielding mining thug who represented Mnangagwa’s mining interests in the town.

Today, Mnangagwa has brought his mukorokoza into government yet again as Provincial Affairs Minister after being temporarily shunted into political Siberia when he was fired as State Security Minister.

They say fate is a capricious woman. By dint of tribal and factional connections, Mudha has morphed from being a machete wielding mukorokoza into a besuited Minister of government.

Tribesmen in Cabinet

Apart from the Moyos, his maternal uncles appointed in the early days of Mnangagwa’s administration and allies such as Masuka and Muda Ncube, other Karanga homeboys that have yet again been retained in Cabinet include Mines minister Winston Chitando from Gutu Central and Professor Amon Murwira from Nzuwa village in the same Gutu area.Gutu has provided nine Ministers this time around.

Another Karanga from Zvishavane and a long-time ally of Mnangagwa is the infamous Willowgate convicted criminal, Frederick Shava.

Cabinet meetings may yet begin to look like clan or tribal meetings. In the Mnangagwa compound there are three ministers while two other Cabinet ministers can be found on Christopher Muttsvangwa’s matrimonial bed!

If Mnangagwa’s relative dies, the whole government, certainly Cabinet, might have to be suspended. Everyone would be attending the funeral as they are:either relatives, tribesmen or close friends.

Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri may be a Manicaland godmother and a key Mnangagwa ally who speaks with a fluent Manyika accent, but she is a Karanga from Masvingo whose father went to Manicaland as an agricultural extension worker (mudhumeni/umlimisi) and settled in the province.

As shall be explained later, it was Muchinguri-Kashiri who was influential in the appointment of her own niece the late Ellen Gwaradzimba and the current Provincial Affairs Minister for 24 hours, Nokuthula Matsikenyeri. Nokuthula is yet another Karanga homegirl, who just happens to have been married into a Manyika family in Chimanimani.

And here, I have not yet mentioned Ziyambi Ziyambi a fellow Karanga retained as Justice Minister. That he transacts his politics in another province in Mashonaland may yet cloud the toxic tribal and factional nature of his appointment.

n the party’s key commissariat department, after Engelbert Rugeje, a soldier and a fellow Karanga from Masvingo who is a Chiwenga loyalist, began to show leanings towards the military faction of the party, and Mnangagwa was quick to slot in yet another Karanga and a Midlander from Gokwe, Victor Matemadanda.

Indeed, for some time, Mnangagwa fancied himself the victor in the battle for the control of the soul of the party, which is the party’s commissariat department that is in charge of all party structures. Matemadanda was later retired.

Other key Mnangagwa *cronies

Douglas Munatsi

The late Douglas Munatsi was yet another of Mnangagwa’s cronies, representing a vast array of the dear leader’s financial and commercial interests.

Munatsi, appointed chairperson of the Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency and who died in mysterious circumstances, was implicated as having been part of the team that used its financial muscle to capture both The Financial Gazette and The Daily News that are now parroting the views of the State, leaving Zimpapers’ major titles like The Herald and The Chronicle green with envy.

It was during the capture of this stable that former Daily News editor Stan Gama unceremoniously left the newspaper as more pliable editors were put at the helm to protect Mnangagwa’s narrow political interests.

At a personal level, I am greatly pained by the blatant capture of the two newspapers, The Daily News and The Financial Gazette, having served as news editor at both newspapers during the era of audacious journalism when the independent press was truly independent of the political interests of the ruling elite.

I miss our golden time in the media when we used the vocation of journalism to hold government accountable and not to shamelessly parrot the selfish interests of the ruling elite.

Kuda Tagwirei

Kuda Tagwirei, the de facto Prime Minister of our land and business magnate whose finger is in every pie of the State, has his roots in Mulauzi village under chief Nhema in Shurugwi.

Tagwirei is not only a tribesmen of the dear leader, but his beloved acolyte with the licence to dabble in every lucrative deal or enterprise within the State, from fuel to bus procurement and the sourcing and supply of fertilisers.

He is the financial point man and he is the human embodiment of the phenomenon of State capture in Zimbabwe.

Midlands political dynamics

It is always tragic when presumed national leaders descend from the lofty heights of true nationalists in the mould of the great Joshua Nkomo to the plumbing depths of tribalism, regionalism and villagism.

Notwithstanding his roots in the Chivi area in Masvingo province, Mnangagwa now fancies himself a Midlands godfather and even the defections overseen by Mavima a few years ago had a regional tilt to them.

Blessing Chebundo, who almost ended Mnangagwa’s political career before Mugabe came to his rescue, is from Kwekwe, while my sister Lillian Timveos is from Zvishavane in the Midlands province. It depicts the sheer poverty of Mnangagwa’s politics that even the much-vaunted defections have failed to rise above the very limited regional precincts that have always defined the pettiness of his politics.

The late Oliver Chidawu

Mnangagwa has always serially and deliberately “exported” his Karanga allies to other provinces on party and/or government mission. He may claim he has always transacted his politics in Harare, but Harare’s now deceased provincial affairs minister Chidawu was Mnangagwa’s Karanga tribal ally.

Monica Mavhunga

Mavhunga, now a Minister of government having been provincial Affairs Minister for Mash. Central province, may have been married in her former province of service, but has her roots in Mnangagwa’s home province.

Mary Mliswa-Chikoka

Temba Mliswa’s sister is a former minister of Provincial Affairs in Mashonaland West. Mary, the oten-pampered girl is originally from Mliswa village in the Gamwa section, Shamba circuit in ward 5 of Shurugwi South.

Mliswa and Mnangagwa are of the Shumba totem and Mary’s periodic deployment to strategic political spaces begins to make sense from the perspective of her roots in Shurugwi and the totemic connection with ED..

Mike Madiro

Mike Madiro, a Mnangagwa ally since the Dinyane days in 2004, is Mnangagwa’s Karanga homeboy originally from Masvingo. Mnangagwa appointed him the deputy minister of Transport in the previous Cabinet.

Madiro was the Manicaland provincial chairperson in 2004 and travelled to Tsholotsho to do Mnangagwa’s bidding at the ill-fated Dinyane meeting where the ambitious gladiator failed to gatecrash into the presidium as Vice-President.

Madiro’s appointment as Minister in the last government, was a reward for a long journey travelled together.

Gwaradzimba and Matsikenyeri

Muchinguri-Kashiri was an aunt or a tete to the late Gwaradzimba, whom she pushed to be the Manicaland governor. Upon her death, Muchinguri-Kashiri pushed for Matsikenyeri, yet another Karanga homegirl from Masvingo who just happened to be married into a Chimanimani family to succeed her

Matsikinyeri was recently appointed as Provincial Affairs Minister but only for 24 hours due to the legal ineptitude of the appointing authority.

Joe Biggie Matiza

It is strongly believed within Zanu PF circles that the late Joel Biggie Matiza, who was Transport Minister and Zanu PF Mashonaland East provincial chairperson, was a Karanga with roots in Masvingo.

Those in the know say being Karanga is a key decision factor in Mnangagwa’s cheap tribal politics and he has deployed his tribesmen, clansmen and clanswomen to go and lead the party and government in other provinces.

The list above is not exhaustive, but it just gives a glimpse of the tribal nature of Mnangagwa’s politics and political behaviour.

Jacob Mudenda

Another former Zanu PF provincial chair who also went to the same ill-fated meeting Tsholotsho meeting 19 years ago to root for Mnangagwa is one Jacob Mudenda. The former provincial chairperson for Matabeleland North province has just been allowed, yet again, to retain his position as Speaker of Parliament to represent the enduring Lacoste interests in the August House.

More than anything, the retention of the Speakership is the due reward for an unstinting loyalty. Obligingly, he playied his own part in the recalling of elected MPs from parliament.

In fact, in the previous Parliament, Mudenda was the personification of the capture of parliament in the furtherance of a dastardly agenda to promote a one-party state in this our beloved country.

Other Mnangagwa acolytes

George Charamba

Charamba is now the deputy chief secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet. He was also retained as Presidential spokesperson. I have written in a previous instalment that Charanba has always been a key Mnangagwa ally.

At the ill-fated Tsholotsho meeting in 2004, it was Charamba, as permanent secretary in the ministry of Information and Publicity, who abused government funds to pay for the helicopter that carried the Zanu PF provincial chairpersons to the meeting in Tsholotsho.

Charamba paid ZW$9 780 750 for the helicopter and even secured clearance for it. Charamba also wrote Mnangagwa’s Tsholotsho speech, which was eventually delivered by Patrick Chinamasa

Patrick Chinamasa

Chinamasa is one of Mnangagwa’s allies who is drawing a salary and perks equivalent to that of a Cabinet minister. Chinamasa is representing Mnangagwa’s political interests at party headquarters, together with Obert Mpofu, the party’s secretary for administration.

Obert Mpofu

Mpofu is a key Mnangagwa ally in the industry of nefarious deals. Mnangagwa was the minister of Defence at the time the army got involved in diamond mining, while Obert Mpofu was Mines minister.

The two may have some knowledge on the plunder of diamonds and other minerals. Mnangagwa’s name is specifically mentioned in a United Nations report S/2002/1146 as having been part of the elite network that plundered mineral resources in the DRC.

Neville Coetzee

Contrary to propaganda that has repeatedly been parroted, it is none other than Mnangagwa who has proved to be a front for white capital interests.

The late John Bredenkamp, Omanian fugitive Ahmed Said Thamer al Shanfari, Billy Rautenbach and other shadowy capitalists have always been Mnangagwa’s key business associates over the years.

Mnangagwa has been mired in a scandal in which he has decided to displace a minority tribe in Chilonga so that his friend Coetzee can grow lucerne grass for his dairy cows. For Mnangagwa, a white crony’s grass is more important than his fellow citizens!

Conclusion

Mnangagwa’s appointment of his children, Mr and Mrs Mutsvangwa and a cast associations of family, relatives, friends and acolytes has simply confirmed that the man is a primitive tribesman.

A villagist.

In short, Mnangagwa’s family, tribesmen, clansmen and elite cronies are now firmly embedded in the upper echelons of the vast labyrinth of party and State power, representing mainly the parochial political and avaricious interests of a small, factional and largely tribal cabal.

The list and names alluded to in this treatise is not exhaustive and Mnangagwa’s filialisation and villagisation of the party and the State may turn out to be an interesting area of study fully deserving of a comprehensive research effort. An academic thesis.

During the Mugabe era, Mnangagwa was certainly biding his time, strenuously working for the moment to foist his own tribesmen and clansmen on the entire body politic. The evidence of the human resource spread across party and government shows that he may well have achieved his mission in this regard, not to mention the deliberate appointments he has made in the police force and the brigadiers-general he has appointed to fractionally and tribally tame a stubborn military.

Remember one of his sons is a senior army officer, a colonel.

Thabani Vusa Mpofu, a Midlander and a presumed Mnangagwa relative, is now in charge of the Special Anti-Corruption Unit in the President’s Office. Ironically, it is Vusa Mpofu’s own appointment that may yet be the special case of corruption and cronyism deserving of a thorough and robust investigation.

All these years as Mnangagwa fought by fair and foul means to achieve the Presidency, it now appears he was working only for an opportunity to bring his family, cronies and tribal associates into the top echelons of the party and government. He was waiting for his time to bring his own retinue of close associates, kinsmen, kinswomen, cousins and nieces to the dining table so that they could all jointly and severally plunder the country’s resources.

In the words of musician Leonard Karikoga Zhakata, the acolytes have all been called in to enjoy the honeycomb, a sumptuous dinner at the poor taxpayer’s expense:

Dai ndaive ini ndigere paye ,
Deno ndaive ini ndiripo paye ,
Ndairidza huwi ndodaidzira vamwe vangu ,
Kuno kwaita dopiro akomana ,
Huyai mose , huyai tinombore ,

Now that the clansman has stolen State power, his children, family members, fellow tribesmen and tribeswomen are today gathered at the dinner table, voraciously partaking to the national honeycomb.

The nation may bark, as I am currently doing through this epistle, but the tribesmen and the cronies are quietly enjoying their pilfered meal, in strict conformity to the dictates of prudent table manners that exhort silence during the eating hour!

But for how long will this last? Only time will tell.

In the meantime, dear readers, behold Mr Mnangagwa’s Studio 263 Cabinet!

Luke Tamborinyoka is a citizen from Domboshava. A journalist and an ardent political scientist by profession, Tamborenyoka is also a change champion in the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) . You can interact with him via his Facebook page or on the X-handle @ luke_tambo .

By Nancy Ndaba | In recent years, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom has witnessed a troubling surge in fraudulent land scams, leaving countless female victims in financial ruin and raising questions about the effectiveness of legal safeguards against such deceitful practices. This includes some concerning signs surrounding the United Kingdom Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) and organized fraudulent schemes, which continue to rob communities of their hard-earned cash.

At the heart of one of the most intricate and devastating UK based scam is the enigmatic figure of a Zimbabwean born Sithule Tshuma, UK trained Staff nurse, the founder of Qoki Zindlovukazi, a UK-based company that purports to offer lucrative land development opportunities as empowerment for women in Zimbabwe. This fraudulent scheme, aided by a network of individuals/companies including Karen Kumalo, Nompilo Moyo, Bridget Dube, Witness Sibelu, Lovemore Sibanda, Zibusiso Charles Ncube and Qoki Medical Clinic to name a few, has drawn attention to the need for a deeper analysis of the theoretical framework underpinning such scams.

Sithule Tshuma, a name that has become synonymous with deception and bullying, operates Qoki from her offshore base in the United Kingdom. The company’s modus operandi involves advertising prime land parcels in Zimbabwe to unsuspecting investors, promising substantial returns on their investments. To the untrained eye, these land development projects seem like a golden opportunity, luring in individuals, particularly women in the diaspora, seeking to build their lavish homes or profitable investments in a nation advertised as brimming with potential.

However, beneath the veneer of promise lies a complex web of fraudulent activities that have devastated the lives of many unsuspecting women from Matebeleland, Bulawayo. Karen Kumalo, one of the key players in this nefarious scheme, is married to Thami Cele, a well-known owner of the Locs n Style Studios salon in Norwood, UK. Questions have arisen regarding the possible connection between the ill-gotten gains from the land scam and the funding of this salon empire. Karen’s involvement adds a layer of intrigue to an already convoluted plot, raising suspicions about how deep the roots of this fraud stretch.
Nompilo Moyo, Bridget Dube, Witness Sibelu, Zibusiso Ncube, and Lovemore Sibanda have emerged as key figures in the promotion of Qoki’s land development ventures.

Their active involvement has been instrumental in persuading potential investors of the credibility of these opportunities. By utilizing Qoki Medical Clinic as the designated payment hub for the company, they added an air of legitimacy to the entire operation, particularly targeting unsuspecting women who placed trust in the women’s association with a medical facility. Presently, the full extent of their complicity and participation in this fraudulent scheme is undergoing thorough investigation. Their roles in this elaborate web of deceit are being scrutinized to ascertain the depth of their involvement in the deceptive land projects orchestrated by Sithule’s company Qoki.

What makes this fraudulent land scam particularly troubling is the multi-faceted approach employed by its orchestrators. Deceptive marketing tactics, including the use of falsified land development documents, deception, fake testimonials, and misleading Face Book promotional materials, have been systematically employed to lure unsuspecting investors. These tactics, coupled with the promise of enormous financial returns by Sithule, ‘the land is yours antics’, and ‘clean Title Deeds’, have proven to be highly effective in duping individuals into parting with their hard-earned money.

Furthermore, reports of bullying tactics continue to be used by Qoki and its associates to intimidate and silence those who become suspicious or vocal about their concerns. Threats, harassment, and even verbal aggression/violence have been employed to maintain a shroud of secrecy around the operation. This appalling harassment tactic has also been attempted on journalists who are advocating for the victims.

The complicity of legal professionals in the fraudulent conveyancing processes of these land deals raises additional questions about the mechanisms that enable such scams to persist. Lawyers who should serve as gatekeepers of legality have been implicated in facilitating the fraudulent transactions, thereby further undermining the trust and confidence individuals place in the legal system.

To further delve into the mechanics of such schemes, an in-depth exploration of the theoretical framework behind Sithule Tshuma, a mastermind orchestrating a series of fraudulent land development projects. Sithule’s manipulation of legal processes, utilization of bullying tactics, and collaboration with a legal professional warrants a closer examination of the theoretical underpinnings that enable her activities to persist.

Theoretical Foundations:
Criminological Theories: Since 2020, Sithule’s Qoki, has over 30 projects worth over US$25 million that have not come to fruition. Most of these projects have skimpy contracts, fraudulent Title Deeds, or no legal documentation. Sithule’s involvement in fraudulent land endeavors can be understood through rational choice theory, where calculated decisions are guided by the balance of benefits and risks. In some land projects, Sithule deliberately inflated prices with intentions of enriching herself. In pursuit of substantial financial gain, coupled with a perceived lack of consequences, fuels Sithule’s engagement in multiple fraudulent projects. Moreover, strain theory sheds light on her resort to criminality due to the disconnection between societal aspirations and lawful avenues. The failure to achieve success within conventional boundaries might be driving her toward fraudulent activities.

White-Collar Crime Theory: Several women that Sithule claims she was empowering are in worse financial recurrence. Sithule’s participation in fraudulent land scams aligns with opportunity theory, suggesting that white-collar criminals capitalize on favorable circumstances. The inadequacy of regulatory measures within the land development sector creates fertile ground for Sithule’s fraudulent operations to flourish.
Social Psychological Theories: Sithule’s reliance on bullying tactics is best examined through deindividuation theory. This theory highlights how individuals, when part of a group, experience diminished self-awareness and heightened impulsivity.

Sithule potentially exploits this psychological phenomenon to coerce victims into compliance and deter them from questioning the legitimacy of his operations.

Aspects of the Fraudulent Land Scam:
Deceptive Land Development Projects: Sithule’s implementation of fraudulent land projects involves intricate manipulations of property records, forgery of ownership documents, and fabrication of development plans.

These actions resonate with theories of white-collar crime and rational choice, where Sithule strategically calculates the benefits of her actions against perceived risks.

Bullying Tactics: Sithule,s resort to bullying tactics underscores her desire for control over victims. By inducing fear and intimidation, she aims to dissuade victims from exposing her operations. The application of deindividuation theory offers insight into the psychological mechanisms at play, as Sithule exploits the diminished sense of accountability that arises in group settings.

Involvement of Professional Lawyer in Fraudulent Conveyancing Processes: The complicity of a legal professional in Tshuma’s fraudulent conveyancing processes underscores ethical concerns within the legal realm. This dynamic can be analyzed through the lens of strain theory, as the lawyer potentially sees an opportunity to bridge financial gaps through illicit means due to perceived societal pressures.

The case of Qoki Sithule Tshuma’s fraudulent land scam serves as a obvious reminder of the intricate web of theories and tactics that underlie white-collar crimes of this nature. While this learning has delved into the theoretical foundations, it is imperative to draw a comparison with similar cases, such as the CoS UK fraud, to identify common patterns and lessons that can be learned.
Comparing Qoki Sithule Tshuma’s operations with the CoS UK fraud reveals striking similarities in their modus operandi. Both schemes rely on deception, manipulation of legal processes, and the exploitation of unsuspecting individuals.

The involvement of seemingly legitimate professionals, like lawyers, Managers, in both cases raises significant concerns about the oversight and accountability within the legal sector, demanding a closer examination of the ethical standards and regulations governing legal and Healthcare practitioners.

Interestingly, an analysis of Sithule Tshuma’s personality also reveals traits that may have enabled her to mastermind such a fraud. Her allure, persuasiveness, and ability to manipulate others continues to play a significant role in deceiving investors. However, it is essential to delve deeper into her psyche to understand the motivations behind her actions. Sithule’s capacity for deceit, manipulation, and callousness aligns with worrying traits. She appears to be indifferent to the harm she causes to her victims and may derive pleasure from their suffering.

These tendencies could be rooted in an underlying personality condition.
On the other hand, examining her psychological health further provides valuable insights into her behavior. It is possible that underlying psychological matters, such as a propensity for deceit, narcissism, or antisocial personality traits, may have contributed to her willingness to engage in fraudulent activities. Questions remain unanswered, ‘how is a professional UK staff nurse engaging in fraudulent activities entrusted to care for vulnerable older people right in the heart of the UK?’ How did all the money deposited into her UK personal bank accounts go unnoticed by banks such as Santander and Barclays?

Where is Action Fraud UK in all this? We are reminded of Tshuma’s confessions to bribery in her own words ‘..ngadiza $4000 for every land permit (I paid $4000 bribery money for every land permit)’.

The case of Sithule Tshuma’s multi-faceted fraudulent land scam serves as a stark reminder of the need to dissect the theoretical framework that allows such schemes to flourish. By analyzing her personality traits, mental health, criminological, white-collar crime, social psychological theories and the complicity of others, we can gain a better understanding of the factors that drive individuals like her to commit such heinous crimes. Furthermore, comparing her case with the UK’s CoS fraud highlights the global nature of fraudulent schemes and the urgent need for international cooperation in combatting them. Ultimately, unraveling the theoretical framework behind these scams is essential for preventing future victimization and upholding justice.

 By Wilbert Mukori- “As I said last week, stealing elections through all manner of rigging before and after the polling day itself would have been ignored by the business and investor communities if Mnangagwa had appointed a craft competent cabinet,” argued Hopewell Chin’ono.

“That opportunity of salvaging any form of credibility is now gone through the window after Mnangagwa appointed the worst ever cabinet in Zimbabwe’s living memory.

“There are two types of legitimacy in global politics and business, there is Political and Performance legitimacy.

“Political legitimacy is derived from elections and Performance legitimacy is derived from a craft competent cabinet and administration.

“Countries like China and Qatar don’t even hold elections, but they cover up with Performance legitimacy.”

To expect Emmerson Mnangagwa to appoint “a craft competent cabinet and administration” would be unrealistic. He himself is not competent and I will be hard pressed to name one competent Zanu PF leader in the last 43 years. Just one!  

Mnangagwa himself have proven beyond all reasonable doubt that he is corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless. He has held very senior government positions for the last 43 years for one main reason – he is a ruthless thugs whom Mugabe, a ruthless thugs himself, found very useful to establish and retain a de facto one party state. 

Mugabe surrounded himself with buffoons like Mnangagwa who did not have any common sense much less political and business sense and Zimbabwe’s fate as a failed state was sealed. Mnangagwa has carried on from where Mugabe left off dragging the nation deeper and deeper into the economic and political abyss.

Zimbabwe has suffered the misfortune of the double whammy of a none perform regime and, to add insult to injury, was stuck with it. Zanu PF has rigged elections ever since the country’s independence in 1980, 43 year and counting of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and tyrannical oppression has all but destroyed the nation’s economy and democratic state institutions. 

Before independence Zimbabwe was the bread-basket of the region. Mugabe seized the farms to give them to his Zanu PF cronies mostly. The last two decades Zimbabwe has relied on imported food aid every two or three years. The nation is starving in a country that is, for all practical purposes,  the Garden of Eden.  A damning testimonial is the failed Zanu PF leadership. 

Zanu PF has corrupt the state institutions turning them into Zanu PF departments in all but name to serve the singular purpose of keeping Zanu PF in power at all cost. The political system has stifled debate and democratic discourse and competition it has been compared to a sewage pond where there should be clean water dam. It is no surprise country has no quality leaders both sides of the political divide, which explains the political paralysis. There is no quality fish in a sewage pond. 

Zimbabwe had its golden opportunity to implement the democratic reforms and dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. The opportunity fall to Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends and they turned out to be corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless. Mugabe bribed them with the tapping of high office and the rest is history. 

Zanu PF rigged the 23 August 2023 elections and SADC and AU election observers have condemned the elections denying Zanu PF political legitimacy, a departure from the usual practice of turning a blind eye to the rigging. The electoral crisis is going to be resolved by appointing a new GNU, similar to the one appointed in 2008 following an identical electoral problem. 

The primary task of the last GNU was to implement the democratic reform to end the curse of rigged elections. This new GNU’s primary task will be to implement the reforms too only this time no stone will be left unturned to make sure all the reforms and fully implemented.

Zimbabwe’s only hope of crawling out of the economic and political hell-hole Zanu PF has landed the nation into is regime change followed implementing the democratic reforms designed to drain the political sewage pond. 

We cannot expecting a buffoon like Mnangagwa to appoint “a craft competent cabinet and administration” that would be making the proverbial a silk purse from sow’s ear! It is cannot be done. 

By Wilbert Mukori- “We Won’t Allow You to Personalise the Citizens Movement: Welshman Ncube Warns Chamisa!” read the headline.

Not again! was my knee jerk reaction.

“Now the riddle has been solved. We have now realised how we lost the  2018 and 2023 elections to Mnangagwa. He (Chamisa) is the problem, how  can the whole party’s symbol be someone’s face, we cannot allow that,”  Professor Welshman Ncube, one of the three CCC Vice Presidents, explained.

“We were not consulted on this matter, we were not consulted on the  selection of candidates and we were not consulted on everything. Nelson  Chamisa is doing everything by himself and the result; we lost a free and fair election to Zanu PF.”

To say I did not see this coming will be to lie. I am just surprised that the split has come so soon before the dust of this flawed election process has not even settled. 

SADC is yet to meet and decide on what to do about the defiant Zanu PF regime that has gone to form a new government although SADC and AU reports had clearly stated there could be no legitimate government out of the flawed and illegal 23 August election process.

The late Simon Muzenda, Zanu PF Vice President during Mugabe’s days, once boasted that people will vote for the baboon if Zanu PF told them to! What the buffoon did not realise was that if the elections were free, fair and credible; Zimbabwean would happily vote for the troop of baboons if only to get rid of remove Zanu PF from office. 

So the number one task for any Zimbabwe opposition party has always been to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections, to ensure the elections are free and fair. 

The MDC (now morphed into CCC) was launched in 1999 on the promise to deliver the necessary democratic changes to stop Zanu PF rigging elections. After 23 years, including 5 in the 2008 to 2013 GNU, MDC/CCC leaders have failed to implement even one token reform. Worse still, after the GNU debacle, they gave up on reforms and have been participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy out of greed.

Zanu PF blatantly rigged the 23 August 2023 elections, as the regime has done in all the other elections in past, because MDC/CCC had failed to implement the democratic reforms to stop the regime rigging the elections. Ever since the launch of the party in 1999, MDC has been proven utterly useless because the party leaders were corrupt and breath-taking incompetent. 

Professor Ncube is right, ever since the launch of the CCC, Nelson Chamisa has turned out to be an autocrat and a control freak. He has resisted calls to have party structures and elected officials. He has controlled everything and made all key decisions. 

MDC and now CCC’s enduring popular support has itself become a measure of the people’s desperation for change, the people will support any opposition with a chance to remove Zanu PF from power even if it has a rotten track record. 

The lack of democratic values and quality leadership has been the root causes of the MDC/CCC’s endless infighting and more important of all the failure to implement the democratic reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging the election. 

Now that Professor Ncube has made public his displeasure with Chamisa the breakup of CCC is a given. Many of those who won seats in the recent elections will, no doubt, swear their loyalty to Chamisa out of fear of being recalled and losing the seat. 

The CCC supporters are a confused lot at the best of time; this latest round of infighting in the party will throw the cat amongst the pigeons. At a time when the nation wanted the wildebeest herd to focus on demanding a new GNU that will implement the democratic reforms. The last GNU failed to implement even one reform and got away with it because the herd had no clue what was going on.

The only beneficiary out of this CCC chaos and fallout is Zanu PF. The party will be exploring ways to price CCC wide open and how to profit from it all. 

SADC’s efforts to put an end to the curse of rigged elections was not helped by CCC leaders taking their gravy train seats on the illegal government and now a CCC party tearing itself to pieces before their eyes!  

Still, SADC must remain focused on task on hand – to a new GNU and to appoint competent staff to implement all the democratic reforms with out failure. SADC leaders must explore the chances of getting help from Commonwealth, UN, etc.; it is no shame to ask for help. 

Another GNU failure to implement reforms would be more than cause for shame for Zimbabwe and the whole SADC region – it would be a real tragedy!