Siziva slams Mnangagwa cronies over 'industrial-scale' looting

Prominent opposition activist and Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) spokesperson, Gift Ostallos Siziva, has launched a scathing attack on what he describes as the "corrupt cabal" propping up President Emmerson Mnangagwa's regime, accusing the president's business allies of running Zimbabwe into the ground through "industrial-scale corruption and looting of public resources."

In a hard-hitting statement, Siziva pointed to flamboyant businessman Wicknell Chivayo as the "poster boy" of the rot, calling for urgent action to address the deepening crisis that has left Zimbabwe's economy in tatters and public services collapsing.

"Recent revelations by South Africa's Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) that the poster boy of corruption, Chivayo, received millions of US dollars from the Zimbabwean Treasury should provoke every Zimbabwean who loves this country to rise up against corruption," Siziva declared.

The FIC report, which sent shockwaves across the region, alleges that Chivayo received R800 million from a controversial South African election materials supplier, which in turn had been paid R1.1 billion by the Zimbabwean Treasury. The deal has since raised serious red flags over possible illicit financial flows and misuse of public funds.

Siziva says the revelations expose not only the entrenched corruption within the ruling Zanu PF party but also the capture of state institutions by a politically connected elite.

"This grand-scale looting poses serious threats to the very existence of Zimbabwe as a functioning country," he said. "The money exposed is shocking - especially at a time when hospitals are collapsing, children are dropping out of school, and civil servants are earning starvation wages."

He said Zimbabwe is being plundered by a "kleptocratic elite" that has hijacked the state for "primitive accumulation" while the majority of citizens suffer under crushing poverty and economic mismanagement.

"That Zanu PF's cronies are siphoning national funds into foreign bank accounts and it remains business as usual is absolutely unacceptable," he said.

Siziva urged citizens and stakeholders across society to speak out and demand accountability, saying Zimbabwe must be rescued from a toxic system built around looting and patronage.

"Our country needs a caring government that loves its people - not one bankrolled by corrupt maniacs like Chivayo. In short, Zimbabwe must be rescued from both Zanu PF and Chivayo," he declared.

The statement comes as public frustration mounts over high-level corruption, rising inequality, and an increasingly informal economy. Calls for transparency and reform are growing louder ahead of crucial political developments expected in the coming months.

Neither the government nor Chivayo has officially responded to the latest FIC allegations, but pressure is mounting for an independent investigation into the explosive claims.