Hopewell Chin’ono: Corruption Has Crippled Zimbabwe for Decades

HARARE - International award-winning journalist Hopewell Chin’ono has launched a scathing critique of Zimbabwe’s political landscape, arguing that corruption has been central to the country’s collapse for decades, with every member of the ZANU PF leadership entangled in it.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Chin’ono dismissed Operation Restore Legacy, the name given to the 2017 coup, as a deceptive ploy to remove Robert Mugabe under the guise of fighting corruption.

“I once told Morgan Tsvangirai that his greatest mistake was failing to demand written concessions during his negotiations that led to the opposition supporting the coup,” Chin’ono wrote. “That’s how I came to know he was in talks with Mnangagwa and Chiwenga’s teams, with Chamisa serving as the emissary.”

He warned that Zimbabwe has come full circle, returning to the same conditions that preceded the coup — only this time, without a viable opposition, just remnants of civil society trying to hold the line.

Chin’ono questioned the integrity of the current factional fight within ZANU PF, asking whether either side is genuinely clean, or simply competing for control over the same corrupt system of looting and patronage.

“Is this not the right time to have an honest and open national conversation that leads to genuine and lasting reforms - reforms that would finally benefit the ordinary citizens who have suffered for decades and not just elite configurations?” he posted.

He lamented the absence of reform discourse, noting that political power remains the prize, while the people remain the victims.

According to Chin’ono, the current factional tensions are driven not by a desire for change, but by Mnangagwa’s determination to cling to power and Chiwenga’s ambition to take over - with corruption weaponized as a tool in their struggle.

He also highlighted the militarisation of Zimbabwean society, stating that the military is firmly embedded in politics, and questioned whether it offers any genuine democratic vision.

“In my view, instead of passively responding to political rhetoric, Zimbabweans should be boldly demanding the kind of change they want - not merely acting as catalysts for other people’s ambitions,” he said.

Chin’ono echoed sentiments by former Industry Minister Nkosana Moyo, who argued that Zimbabweans are not truly fighting for change, but for inclusion at the feeding trough.

“Zimbabwe has never been a democracy. From the days of Joshua Nkomo to the present, violence has consistently been used to crush the people’s will,” Chin’ono posted. “Both Mnangagwa and Chiwenga were at the centre of that betrayal - the abrogation of a liberation struggle founded on the promise of one man, one vote.”

He concluded by urging citizens to ask critical questions, rather than cheerlead for political actors.

“Zimbabwe’s tragedy is that we keep changing the actors, but never the script — the faces shift, yet the system of fear, corruption and betrayal remains the same.”