Opinion / Columnist
Why is Mnangagwa's regime silent on South Africa's explosive Wicknell revelations?
12 hrs ago | Views
There are so many questions on Zimbabwe's minds.
A disturbing irony hangs over Zimbabwe today.
While South Africa's Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) has taken decisive steps to investigate the murky web of financial transactions linked to Zimbabwe's 2023 elections - revealing the alleged looting of over R800 million by controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo - the Zimbabwean government has opted for shameful silence.
Not even a token expression of concern.
Not a single pledge to investigate.
No press statement from the presidency, nor from the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), nor from the Ministry of Finance - whose own transfers triggered this scandal.
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One would be forgiven for thinking this scandal involved some faraway country, and not the looting of Zimbabwean taxpayers' money under the guise of electoral procurement.
Instead, it is South Africa's authorities - namely the FIC, the Reserve Bank of South Africa, and the South African Revenue Service - that are ringing the alarm bells and pursuing criminal investigations into the R1.1 billion transferred from Zimbabwe's Treasury to the Johannesburg-based printing company Ren-Form CC, most of which swiftly flowed into Chivayo's business and personal accounts.
That it takes a neighbouring country to care more about the abuse of Zimbabweans' public funds than our own government is a damning indictment of the Emmerson Mnangagwa administration.
The evidence is staggering.
Between April 2023 and May 2024, Zimbabwe's Ministry of Finance transferred over R1.1 billion (US$61 million) to Ren-Form for supplying electoral materials for the August 2023 elections.
Of that amount, more than R800 million was quickly funnelled to companies owned by Chivayo - primarily Intratrek and Dolintel Trading.
Another R156 million was paid directly to Chivayo's Edenbreeze, allegedly for architectural and engineering services.
South Africa's FIC, in its confidential report dated October 30, 2024, flagged these transactions as highly suspicious - citing the rapid movement of funds, luxury spending, round-figure transactions, and activity that didn't align with the stated purposes or Chivayo's account profile.
This is not mere speculation or social media rumour.
It is a formal, cross-border financial investigation with serious consequences.
Yet in Harare, all we hear is the chirping of crickets.
Even more troubling is the recent conduct of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), which should be at the centre of this scandal.
ZEC awarded the contract to Ren-Form without any public tender, despite clear evidence that the prices were inflated by over 235%.
Just yesterday, journalists attempted to get answers from ZEC deputy chairman Rodney Kiwa, only to be met with arrogance and evasion.
Kiwa bizarrely claimed that this scandal had “nothing to do” with ZEC - even though they are the contracting authority.
How can such a bald-faced denial be tolerated in a democratic society?
It is not just a lie; it is a contemptuous insult to the intelligence of Zimbabweans.
An exposé by the respected investigative platform The NewsHawks has alleged that this scandal extends far beyond ZEC.
According to their report, the entire scheme involved coordination between ZEC, Chivayo, the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), and other senior officials.
If that is true, then this scandal is not merely about procurement corruption - it is about the criminal capture of Zimbabwe's electoral process by a politically connected elite.
And still - no investigations in Zimbabwe.
No arrests.
No parliamentary inquiry.
No media briefing from the police.
No push from ZACC, whose credibility is now thoroughly shattered.
One cannot help but ask: what is the Mnangagwa regime hiding?
Why is a government that claims to be on a crusade against corruption now mute in the face of one of the most brazen acts of financial abuse in recent memory?
Why is there more urgency in Pretoria than in Harare?
Why is the regime not eager to prove its innocence or at least demonstrate accountability?
This silence speaks volumes.
It tells us that the corruption is not peripheral - it is systemic.
It tells us that the silence is not incidental - it is strategic.
And most worryingly, it tells us that the looting of public funds is being protected at the highest levels of the state.
When elections are financed through shady deals and overpriced contracts awarded in secrecy, then democracy is for sale.
When those entrusted with safeguarding the vote are entangled in scandals of this magnitude, then the legitimacy of the entire electoral process is thrown into question.
Zimbabwe's 2023 election - already contested on other grounds - now carries the additional stain of financial corruption.
And if we fail to act on this, then we are complicit in normalizing impunity.
It is also worth recalling that when whistleblowers Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe leaked details of these dealings, they were swiftly arrested and charged on unrelated corruption accusations, while Chivayo continued to parade his flamboyance, buying luxury cars and funding lavish lifestyle choices with suspected proceeds of crime.
He has not been questioned.
He has not been arrested.
He remains untouched.
This selective application of justice is the clearest sign yet that Zimbabwe is governed not by the rule of law - but by the rule of connections.
We must refuse to allow this scandal to disappear into the long, dusty archive of forgotten Zimbabwean crimes.
Civil society, the media, the opposition, the churches, and ordinary citizens must demand accountability - not just from Chivayo, but from ZEC, the OPC, and the Ministry of Finance.
Parliamentary committees must summon officials.
ZACC must explain its silence.
ZEC must be forced to disclose procurement details.
And President Mnangagwa must speak.
To be clear: this is not just about corruption.
This is about sovereignty.
When a nation can no longer defend its own public funds, when it relies on foreign authorities to uncover its own theft, then it has surrendered its dignity.
Zimbabwe deserves better.
And silence, in the face of this magnitude of betrayal, is not an option.
© Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/
A disturbing irony hangs over Zimbabwe today.
While South Africa's Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) has taken decisive steps to investigate the murky web of financial transactions linked to Zimbabwe's 2023 elections - revealing the alleged looting of over R800 million by controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo - the Zimbabwean government has opted for shameful silence.
Not even a token expression of concern.
Not a single pledge to investigate.
No press statement from the presidency, nor from the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), nor from the Ministry of Finance - whose own transfers triggered this scandal.
To directly receive articles from Tendai Ruben Mbofana, please join his WhatsApp Channel on: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaqprWCIyPtRnKpkHe08
One would be forgiven for thinking this scandal involved some faraway country, and not the looting of Zimbabwean taxpayers' money under the guise of electoral procurement.
Instead, it is South Africa's authorities - namely the FIC, the Reserve Bank of South Africa, and the South African Revenue Service - that are ringing the alarm bells and pursuing criminal investigations into the R1.1 billion transferred from Zimbabwe's Treasury to the Johannesburg-based printing company Ren-Form CC, most of which swiftly flowed into Chivayo's business and personal accounts.
That it takes a neighbouring country to care more about the abuse of Zimbabweans' public funds than our own government is a damning indictment of the Emmerson Mnangagwa administration.
The evidence is staggering.
Between April 2023 and May 2024, Zimbabwe's Ministry of Finance transferred over R1.1 billion (US$61 million) to Ren-Form for supplying electoral materials for the August 2023 elections.
Of that amount, more than R800 million was quickly funnelled to companies owned by Chivayo - primarily Intratrek and Dolintel Trading.
Another R156 million was paid directly to Chivayo's Edenbreeze, allegedly for architectural and engineering services.
South Africa's FIC, in its confidential report dated October 30, 2024, flagged these transactions as highly suspicious - citing the rapid movement of funds, luxury spending, round-figure transactions, and activity that didn't align with the stated purposes or Chivayo's account profile.
This is not mere speculation or social media rumour.
It is a formal, cross-border financial investigation with serious consequences.
Yet in Harare, all we hear is the chirping of crickets.
Even more troubling is the recent conduct of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), which should be at the centre of this scandal.
ZEC awarded the contract to Ren-Form without any public tender, despite clear evidence that the prices were inflated by over 235%.
Just yesterday, journalists attempted to get answers from ZEC deputy chairman Rodney Kiwa, only to be met with arrogance and evasion.
Kiwa bizarrely claimed that this scandal had “nothing to do” with ZEC - even though they are the contracting authority.
How can such a bald-faced denial be tolerated in a democratic society?
It is not just a lie; it is a contemptuous insult to the intelligence of Zimbabweans.
An exposé by the respected investigative platform The NewsHawks has alleged that this scandal extends far beyond ZEC.
According to their report, the entire scheme involved coordination between ZEC, Chivayo, the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), and other senior officials.
If that is true, then this scandal is not merely about procurement corruption - it is about the criminal capture of Zimbabwe's electoral process by a politically connected elite.
And still - no investigations in Zimbabwe.
No arrests.
No parliamentary inquiry.
No media briefing from the police.
One cannot help but ask: what is the Mnangagwa regime hiding?
Why is a government that claims to be on a crusade against corruption now mute in the face of one of the most brazen acts of financial abuse in recent memory?
Why is there more urgency in Pretoria than in Harare?
Why is the regime not eager to prove its innocence or at least demonstrate accountability?
This silence speaks volumes.
It tells us that the corruption is not peripheral - it is systemic.
It tells us that the silence is not incidental - it is strategic.
And most worryingly, it tells us that the looting of public funds is being protected at the highest levels of the state.
When elections are financed through shady deals and overpriced contracts awarded in secrecy, then democracy is for sale.
When those entrusted with safeguarding the vote are entangled in scandals of this magnitude, then the legitimacy of the entire electoral process is thrown into question.
Zimbabwe's 2023 election - already contested on other grounds - now carries the additional stain of financial corruption.
And if we fail to act on this, then we are complicit in normalizing impunity.
It is also worth recalling that when whistleblowers Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe leaked details of these dealings, they were swiftly arrested and charged on unrelated corruption accusations, while Chivayo continued to parade his flamboyance, buying luxury cars and funding lavish lifestyle choices with suspected proceeds of crime.
He has not been questioned.
He has not been arrested.
He remains untouched.
This selective application of justice is the clearest sign yet that Zimbabwe is governed not by the rule of law - but by the rule of connections.
We must refuse to allow this scandal to disappear into the long, dusty archive of forgotten Zimbabwean crimes.
Civil society, the media, the opposition, the churches, and ordinary citizens must demand accountability - not just from Chivayo, but from ZEC, the OPC, and the Ministry of Finance.
Parliamentary committees must summon officials.
ZACC must explain its silence.
ZEC must be forced to disclose procurement details.
And President Mnangagwa must speak.
To be clear: this is not just about corruption.
This is about sovereignty.
When a nation can no longer defend its own public funds, when it relies on foreign authorities to uncover its own theft, then it has surrendered its dignity.
Zimbabwe deserves better.
And silence, in the face of this magnitude of betrayal, is not an option.
© Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/
Source - Tendai Ruben Mbofana
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