Tungwarara bags lucrative govt contract

The government has granted Prevail Group of Companies, owned by businessman Paul Tungwarara, exclusive rights to carry out river rehabilitation works in Mazowe, Mashonaland Central, effectively excluding other firms from the programme, documents obtained by the Independent reveal.

A Cabinet directive circulated to provincial ministers authorised Prevail to rehabilitate the Muroodzi River as a "prototype" project, pending the development of broader national guidelines by the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife. The directive simultaneously suspended all other river rehabilitation activities nationwide.

"This communication serves to remind you, Hon ministers, that alluvial mining and the river ecosystems rehabilitation programmes remain suspended until further notice," the directive reads.

"The only company that has been given the greenlight to undertake river rehabilitation, as a prototype, is Prevail Group of Companies, at Muroodzi River in Mashonaland Central province. Pending further guidance, no company should be awarded a contract to carry out river rehabilitation across the provinces."

The move centralises control of rehabilitation permits under the Environment minister, sparking concern among industry players who warned it risks creating a de facto monopoly in a sector that has attracted significant private interest.

"If government wants a pilot project, it should be competitively procured and independently evaluated," said an executive at an environmental services firm.

Prevail Group has in recent years expanded its footprint in government contracts, securing projects including the refurbishment of Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, the Presidential Borehole Scheme, the US$500 million Mt Hampden Cyber City development, and construction works at State House and Zimbabwe House.

Market analysts have raised red flags about the concentration of state contracts in the hands of a single firm, warning it undermines transparency, competition, and procurement integrity, particularly in a constrained fiscal environment.

In September 2025, a parliamentary portfolio committee accused Prevail International of gross underperformance, noting that several village business units and boreholes in Chivi District, Masvingo province, were incomplete or non-functional, leaving communities without reliable water access.

Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti criticised the river rehabilitation directive, saying it lacked transparency and parliamentary oversight.

"Parliament must stand up to such issues. Civil society and citizens must also speak out. We have schools without teachers and hospitals without medicine, and those are the consequences of lack of transparency," Biti said.

The controversy follows recent remarks by acting President Constantino Chiwenga, who warned against economic capture by a small, well-connected elite, calling for clean governance and accountability in the management of public resources.

Analysts say the success and credibility of the Polluter Pays Principle, which government intends to operationalise through this initiative, will ultimately hinge on openness, fair competition, and demonstrable environmental outcomes, rather than exclusive mandates.

Efforts to obtain comments from Tungwarara, Mines and Mining Development Minister Polite Kambamura, and Environment Minister Evelyn Ndhlovu were unsuccessful at the time of going to print.