MRP accuses Zanu PF of turning Zimbabwe into 'captured oligarchy'

Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) president Mqondisi Moyo has accused Zanu PF of transforming Zimbabwe into what he described as a "captured post‑colonial oligarchy" built on political patronage, economic exclusion and repression.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Tuesday, Moyo said Zimbabwe had drifted far from the ideals of the liberation struggle and now resembled colonial‑era systems once associated with Cecil Rhodes and the British South Africa Company.

"The liberation struggle promised justice, equality, dignity and freedom for the people," Moyo said. "What Zimbabweans received instead is a politically protected oligarchy where access to wealth, land, state contracts and opportunity depends largely on proximity to power and loyalty to the ruling establishment."

Moyo alleged that politically connected elites, tenderpreneurs and businessmen linked to the ruling party now wield disproportionate influence over state institutions and national resources, while ordinary citizens continue to face poverty, unemployment and collapsing public services.

He further accused the ruling party of reproducing colonial patterns of governance through centralised authority, suppression of dissent and the fuelling of tribal divisions. According to Moyo, Zimbabwe increasingly operates under a "mafia‑style patronage system" in which political loyalty is rewarded while critics, journalists, activists and opposition voices face intimidation and exclusion.

The MRP leader also revisited the unresolved legacy of Gukurahundi, describing it as a national tragedy that continues to shape Zimbabwe's political environment. "The culture of fear and silence established during Gukurahundi did not disappear," he said. "It evolved into a broader system of political intimidation, enforced dependency and institutionalised impunity that still shapes the nation today."

Moyo argued that genuine national unity cannot be achieved without truth‑telling, accountability and justice for victims and affected communities.

The statement reaffirmed the MRP's long‑standing call for the restoration of Mthwakazi statehood through what the party describes as lawful international political processes. The party said communities in Matabeleland and surrounding regions had endured decades of marginalisation, economic neglect and unresolved historical trauma under successive governments.

Moyo called for reparations, compensation and international investigations into alleged historical injustices, including Gukurahundi and political repression. He said the people of Mthwakazi had the right to determine their own future, reclaim their dignity and pursue freedom, sovereignty and justice through peaceful and lawful mechanisms.

The remarks are expected to fuel renewed debate over Zimbabwe's governance crisis, historical grievances, constitutional reform and growing calls for accountability and regional self‑determination.