Govt criticised for buying Monomotapa hotel for MPs

Political commentator Reason Wafawarova has sharply criticized the government's decision to purchase the Monomotapa Hotel in Harare using the Public Service Pension Fund to accommodate Members of Parliament (MPs).

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube announced that the pension fund had acquired the hotel for US$18 million, stating it would provide MPs with accommodation when in the capital and help "cut costs on accommodation."

Wafawarova questioned the rationale behind using a pension fund, meant to support retired teachers, nurses, and civil servants, to buy a hotel for serving politicians.

"Not one parliamentarian asked why Parliament, whose job is to authorise such expenditure, had not debated or approved the purchase before the deal was done. Instead, they clapped like clients at a raffle draw," Wafawarova wrote.

He argued that the MPs, who already benefit from housing stands, loans, and allowances, would now enjoy hotel accommodation at the taxpayers' expense while the same fund, contributed to monthly by civil servants, bears the cost.

Wafawarova also challenged Ncube's claim that the hotel would generate revenue when Parliament is not in session, noting that MPs have effectively block-booked the hotel for the rest of the year.

"This is not an investment; it's an institutional suicide note written in Times New Roman," Wafawarova said. He further highlighted that MPs are already beneficiaries of housing loans, allowances, duty-free vehicles, and other perks, and that this move reinforces a culture of privilege rather than public service.

According to Wafawarova, the Monomotapa Hotel purchase reflects broader issues in Zimbabwe's political economy: a government that recycles old assets instead of generating new wealth, a Parliament unprepared to challenge executive power, and pensioners effectively funding politicians' comfort.

"In the end, Monomotapa will not just be a hotel. It will be a metaphor for Zimbabwe itself - a once-grand house, full of ghosts, lights flickering, doors unpaid for, and the last guests too drunk on privilege to notice the roof caving in," he said.