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Mnangagwa cronies get lucrative tenders
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On 5 May 2025, Youth Minister Tinoda Machakaire posted a seemingly heartfelt message on social media expressing deep concern over the dire state of Zimbabwe's public health institutions. Visiting a hospital to see a relative, Machakaire described conditions as “deeply moving” and a clear indication of the challenges facing many Zimbabweans. He appealed directly to President Emmerson Mnangagwa to personally visit hospitals, emphasizing the importance of firsthand understanding.
At face value, the minister's remarks appeared to be a brave and sincere call for urgent government intervention in a collapsing healthcare system desperately in need of rescue. Many Zimbabweans praised Machakaire for his courage and timely observations.
However, skeptics questioned the unusual openness of a youthful ZANU PF minister criticizing the system and calling on the President to act, suspecting a hidden agenda. Indeed, shortly after Machakaire's message, President Mnangagwa launched a high-profile hospital tour, visiting Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, Sally Mugabe Hospital, and the National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm) warehouse.
Behind the scenes, plans were already underway involving multi-million-dollar contracts linked to Mnangagwa's associates — deals that could cumulatively exceed US$1 billion. Among the first contracts to surface was a massive US$437 million tender awarded without competitive bidding to controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo's South African-based firm, TTM Global Medical Exports (Pty) Limited. The contract covers the supply of cancer treatment equipment to hospitals across Zimbabwe's 10 provinces over four years.
TTM Global Medical Exports, registered in November 2024 and using Chivayo's luxury penthouse address in Sandton, Johannesburg, received an upfront deposit of US$52.5 million shortly after the March signing. The contract pays out over US$109 million annually and includes monthly installments exceeding US$9 million.
Chivayo, known for flamboyant spending and lavish donations to political allies, has been embroiled in previous controversies, including a US$100 million Zimbabwe Electoral Commission tender scandal and investigations by South African authorities over suspicious money movements.
The unfolding situation reveals Machakaire's public call for action as a prelude to the awarding of lucrative tenders to Mnangagwa's cronies, raising serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and fair competition in the procurement process. Critics warn that politically connected contracts often lead to inflated prices, corruption, and inefficient use of public resources.
Parallel to these developments, President Mnangagwa struck a landmark healthcare deal during a visit to Minsk, Belarus, in mid-May. Alongside Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Mnangagwa agreed on a comprehensive plan to modernize Zimbabwe's healthcare infrastructure, supply medicines, and eventually produce pharmaceuticals locally. This US$300 million agreement includes upgrading facilities, equipment, and medical service quality, beginning with Parirenyatwa Hospital.
The Belarus deal was the culmination of earlier high-level negotiations in Harare, attended by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, Reserve Bank Governor John Mushayavanhu, and Kudakwashe Tagwirei — a close Mnangagwa associate involved as a presidential health sector adviser despite not traveling to Belarus.
In addition, investigative journalist Hopewell Chin'ono has revealed further concerns surrounding Mnangagwa's awarding of a multi-million-dollar hospital refurbishment contract to Prevail International Group of Companies, owned by Tempter Paul Tungwarara, Mnangagwa's controversial investment adviser. Registered in January 2025, Prevail International has received numerous government contracts without tendering, including for cybersecurity, housing projects, solar initiatives, and hospital refurbishments.
Tungwarara's company operates from modest residential addresses in Zimbabwe, Dubai, and the UK despite handling inflated government projects. He faces multiple corruption allegations, including fraudulent property deals and unpaid loans, yet enjoys diplomatic privileges and a diplomatic passport granted by Mnangagwa.
The revelations underscore a disturbing pattern: Zimbabwe's collapsing health sector is being commercialized and monetized by Mnangagwa's inner circle through non-transparent contracts worth nearly a billion US dollars. Public health challenges are exploited as opportunities for political patronage and personal enrichment.
As the President's orchestrated hospital visits raise hopes for reform, analysts warn that without genuine transparency and accountability, Zimbabwe's healthcare crisis will deepen — serving not the citizens, but the coffers of the politically connected few.
At face value, the minister's remarks appeared to be a brave and sincere call for urgent government intervention in a collapsing healthcare system desperately in need of rescue. Many Zimbabweans praised Machakaire for his courage and timely observations.
However, skeptics questioned the unusual openness of a youthful ZANU PF minister criticizing the system and calling on the President to act, suspecting a hidden agenda. Indeed, shortly after Machakaire's message, President Mnangagwa launched a high-profile hospital tour, visiting Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, Sally Mugabe Hospital, and the National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm) warehouse.
Behind the scenes, plans were already underway involving multi-million-dollar contracts linked to Mnangagwa's associates — deals that could cumulatively exceed US$1 billion. Among the first contracts to surface was a massive US$437 million tender awarded without competitive bidding to controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo's South African-based firm, TTM Global Medical Exports (Pty) Limited. The contract covers the supply of cancer treatment equipment to hospitals across Zimbabwe's 10 provinces over four years.
TTM Global Medical Exports, registered in November 2024 and using Chivayo's luxury penthouse address in Sandton, Johannesburg, received an upfront deposit of US$52.5 million shortly after the March signing. The contract pays out over US$109 million annually and includes monthly installments exceeding US$9 million.
Chivayo, known for flamboyant spending and lavish donations to political allies, has been embroiled in previous controversies, including a US$100 million Zimbabwe Electoral Commission tender scandal and investigations by South African authorities over suspicious money movements.
The unfolding situation reveals Machakaire's public call for action as a prelude to the awarding of lucrative tenders to Mnangagwa's cronies, raising serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and fair competition in the procurement process. Critics warn that politically connected contracts often lead to inflated prices, corruption, and inefficient use of public resources.
Parallel to these developments, President Mnangagwa struck a landmark healthcare deal during a visit to Minsk, Belarus, in mid-May. Alongside Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Mnangagwa agreed on a comprehensive plan to modernize Zimbabwe's healthcare infrastructure, supply medicines, and eventually produce pharmaceuticals locally. This US$300 million agreement includes upgrading facilities, equipment, and medical service quality, beginning with Parirenyatwa Hospital.
The Belarus deal was the culmination of earlier high-level negotiations in Harare, attended by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, Reserve Bank Governor John Mushayavanhu, and Kudakwashe Tagwirei — a close Mnangagwa associate involved as a presidential health sector adviser despite not traveling to Belarus.
In addition, investigative journalist Hopewell Chin'ono has revealed further concerns surrounding Mnangagwa's awarding of a multi-million-dollar hospital refurbishment contract to Prevail International Group of Companies, owned by Tempter Paul Tungwarara, Mnangagwa's controversial investment adviser. Registered in January 2025, Prevail International has received numerous government contracts without tendering, including for cybersecurity, housing projects, solar initiatives, and hospital refurbishments.
Tungwarara's company operates from modest residential addresses in Zimbabwe, Dubai, and the UK despite handling inflated government projects. He faces multiple corruption allegations, including fraudulent property deals and unpaid loans, yet enjoys diplomatic privileges and a diplomatic passport granted by Mnangagwa.
The revelations underscore a disturbing pattern: Zimbabwe's collapsing health sector is being commercialized and monetized by Mnangagwa's inner circle through non-transparent contracts worth nearly a billion US dollars. Public health challenges are exploited as opportunities for political patronage and personal enrichment.
As the President's orchestrated hospital visits raise hopes for reform, analysts warn that without genuine transparency and accountability, Zimbabwe's healthcare crisis will deepen — serving not the citizens, but the coffers of the politically connected few.
Source - online
