Tagwirei 'HE' social media post reignites succession debate

A social media post referring to Zanu-PF central committee member and businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei as "HE" has reignited fierce debate over President Emmerson Mnangagwa's succession and the tycoon's alleged political ambitions.

The controversy was sparked by a post from Pretty Mlalazi, the wife of Tagwirei's close associate Everton Mlalazi, who shared a picture of the businessman holding his wife with the caption: "About tonight, HE naamai."

Zimbabweans on social media were quick to draw political conclusions, interpreting the reference to "HE" as shorthand for "His Excellency" — a title reserved for heads of state — and suggesting that Tagwirei could be positioning himself as a future presidential contender.

The debate drew comparisons to a January 2017 incident involving Mnangagwa, then vice president, who appeared in a social media photo holding a coffee mug inscribed "I am the boss." At the time, Mnangagwa's critics within Zanu-PF, including now exiled former minister Jonathan Moyo, framed the image as evidence of a "power grab narrative."

Months later, Mnangagwa emerged as president following the military-assisted removal of long-time leader Robert Mugabe.

Critics now argue that Mlalazi's post feeds into long-held suspicions that Tagwirei harbours presidential ambitions — claims the businessman has neither publicly confirmed nor denied.

Tagwirei's allies, however, moved swiftly to dismiss the backlash, arguing that the interpretation was politically motivated and inaccurate. They claimed that "HE" did not refer to "His Excellency," but rather to "head elder," a supposed leadership position within the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church, of which Tagwirei is a member.

"Kuda Tagwirei is a businessman and the country's biggest investor," Zanu-PF supporter Rutendo Matinyarare wrote on X.

"He has no ambitions to be president, and more critically, there's no vacancy for the position as Zimbabwe has one centre of power under Zanu-PF's first secretary, President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Zanu-PF resolutions have chosen one leader until 2030."

That explanation, however, was strongly rejected by senior figures within the SDA Church, including prominent lawyer Thabani Mpofu, who is also a member of the denomination.

"That's illiterate crap. There's nothing like that in the SDA church," Mpofu told The Standard.

"I was born in the SDA church and it was only yesterday that I first heard that there's something called an HE. I have been a leader for years — during my expired good years — and I can assure you that this is foreign to my church.

"I just hope that people learn to craft their defences without dragging the name of the church in the mud. It is also vitally important that the church distances itself from this damaging buffoonery. It is a duty!"

Another social media user, Mkhululi Khumalo, echoed the sentiment, saying: "Elders are not addressed as HE. They are simply called elder."

Efforts to obtain a comment from Tagwirei on the matter were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, a source who attended the Celestial 2025–2026 Crossover Night held at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) and hosted by Tagwirei and his wife claimed that members of his inner circle addressed him as "president" during the event.

"Most of the people around him were addressing him as president — maybe he has such a title again in this church," alleged a church member who is also a Zanu-PF supporter.

Tagwirei last year also raised eyebrows after holding political meetings in Harare and Masvingo where he made several policy-related pronouncements. The meetings triggered a public rebuke from Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa, who warned the businessman against harbouring presidential ambitions.

Despite sustained efforts by Tagwirei's supporters to downplay the significance of the social media post, many Zimbabweans online remain unconvinced, insisting the reference to "HE" was a deliberate political signal in an already tense succession landscape.