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Mawarire accuses Mnangagwa of 'monetising problems'
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President Emmerson Mnangagwa's surprise visits to Parirenyatwa and Sally Mugabe Hospitals, as well as the NatPharm warehouse on Monday, June 16, have sparked a storm of controversy, with former National Patriotic Front (NPF) spokesperson Jealousy Mawarire accusing the move of being a "window dressing gimmick" to justify a multi-million-dollar, untendered contract.
Mnangagwa had described the tour - publicised on his X (formerly Twitter) account - as an effort to personally assess the state of Zimbabwe's public healthcare facilities. However, Mawarire has rubbished the explanation, claiming the visit was orchestrated to create political cover for what he alleges is a corrupt procurement deal.
Mawarire specifically pointed to a US$437,282,400 contract signed between the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) and TTM Global Medical Exports (PTY) Limited, a South African firm reportedly linked to controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo. The deal, he says, was signed without going to public tender.
"We know you have already, through your office, signed a $439 million dollar contract with a South African company, TTM Global Medical Exports, without going to tender," Mawarire wrote.
He accused the government of monetising the country's health crisis and claimed the recently introduced "sugar tax" was being abused to finance such deals.
Taking aim at Chivayo, Mawarire referred to him as Mnangagwa's "obese proxy," and alleged that Chivayo had proposed what he described as a "silly ‘presidential scheme for the provision of cancer treatment equipment,'" which the OPC approved. He labelled the entire arrangement a "scam."
The controversial contract, reportedly signed in March 2025, involves the supply of 178 pieces of cancer treatment equipment to hospitals across Zimbabwe's 10 provinces over four years. The deal includes an upfront payment of US$52.5 million, with monthly instalments of over US$9 million to follow.
Mawarire questioned the timing of Mnangagwa's hospital visits, which came nearly two months after the contract was allegedly signed.
He described the tours as a "retrospective gimmick meant to sanitise the more than $400 million heist that Rushwaya & ED pulled with the TTM Global scandal." He was referring to Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Martin Rushwaya, who also accompanied Mnangagwa during the hospital inspections.
In a scathing remark, Mawarire branded Rushwaya "the most scandalous & corrupt govt official that Zimbabwe has ever had since 1980."
The accusations add to growing public scrutiny over government procurement processes and rising concern about the lack of transparency in multimillion-dollar deals. Despite the outcry, the government has yet to issue a detailed response to the allegations surrounding the TTM Global contract.
Mnangagwa had described the tour - publicised on his X (formerly Twitter) account - as an effort to personally assess the state of Zimbabwe's public healthcare facilities. However, Mawarire has rubbished the explanation, claiming the visit was orchestrated to create political cover for what he alleges is a corrupt procurement deal.
Mawarire specifically pointed to a US$437,282,400 contract signed between the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) and TTM Global Medical Exports (PTY) Limited, a South African firm reportedly linked to controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo. The deal, he says, was signed without going to public tender.
"We know you have already, through your office, signed a $439 million dollar contract with a South African company, TTM Global Medical Exports, without going to tender," Mawarire wrote.
He accused the government of monetising the country's health crisis and claimed the recently introduced "sugar tax" was being abused to finance such deals.
Taking aim at Chivayo, Mawarire referred to him as Mnangagwa's "obese proxy," and alleged that Chivayo had proposed what he described as a "silly ‘presidential scheme for the provision of cancer treatment equipment,'" which the OPC approved. He labelled the entire arrangement a "scam."
The controversial contract, reportedly signed in March 2025, involves the supply of 178 pieces of cancer treatment equipment to hospitals across Zimbabwe's 10 provinces over four years. The deal includes an upfront payment of US$52.5 million, with monthly instalments of over US$9 million to follow.
Mawarire questioned the timing of Mnangagwa's hospital visits, which came nearly two months after the contract was allegedly signed.
He described the tours as a "retrospective gimmick meant to sanitise the more than $400 million heist that Rushwaya & ED pulled with the TTM Global scandal." He was referring to Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Martin Rushwaya, who also accompanied Mnangagwa during the hospital inspections.
In a scathing remark, Mawarire branded Rushwaya "the most scandalous & corrupt govt official that Zimbabwe has ever had since 1980."
The accusations add to growing public scrutiny over government procurement processes and rising concern about the lack of transparency in multimillion-dollar deals. Despite the outcry, the government has yet to issue a detailed response to the allegations surrounding the TTM Global contract.
Source - online
