Why I support President Mnangagwa

After my recent opinion on Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, many have speculated about my attitude toward President E.D. Mnangagwa. 

Some have labeled me as they wish.

My position, however, has never changed - I have supported President Mnangagwa from before he became President until now. And I will continue to support him.

I have a strong bias in favour of President Mnangagwa. I say so openly and without apology. It is rooted in personal experience.

As a young lawyer in my twenties at Kantor & Immerman, I was appointed to the board of the National Empowerment Corporation. I was the youngest member. Our Chairman was James Mushore. Fellow board members included Godfrey Gomwe, Greg Brackenridge, Shingi Mutasa, Rachel Kupara, Gedion Gono, Freeman Kembo, Mario Dos Remedios and others of significant stature.

We reported to the Indigenisation Committee chaired by then Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa.

At one meeting, I was attacked over petty and false allegations that arose from Kantor & Immerman — that I was some sort of "uncle Tom." 

Because I had been allocated computers ahead of others.  Many remained silent in the presence of the powerful committee members. 

But Chairman Mushore stood by me.

President Mnangagwa immediately shut the matter down. He reminded the room that we were there to discuss policy, not gossip from a law firm.

He was firm. Decisive. Focused. Fair.

On another occasion, I held a legal view he did not agree with. While I was in London working on a corporate finance transaction, colleagues called to say I was "in trouble." When I returned, I found a letter from him - then Minister of Justice.

He reminded me that as the legal person on the board, my duty was not merely to identify problems but to find solutions.

That lesson has stayed with me for decades.

When I represented Strive alongside Anthony Eastwood in his fight for a license, we needed ministerial approval to bring senior counsel Wim Trengove. We were blocked. Beatrice Mtetwa secured a meeting with Minister Mnangagwa through the Permanent Secretary, Yunus Omarjee.

The meeting lasted less than five minutes.

He stated clearly that Strive was entitled to counsel of his choice. He signed the necessary certificates immediately and handed me every copy - including the Ministry's file copies — instructing me to return them once the judgment was registered.

Only later did I understand the wisdom of that act. Had the papers remained within the system, the registration could have been frustrated before I even returned to my office.

In 2002, when my farms were taken, the late Vice President Msika told me plainly: "The only person who can resolve this is Emmerson." Through a friend, I met him. In a brief meeting, he advised me to vacate and wait.

I did.

I waited nearly twenty years.

Today, my farms are back.

President Mnangagwa has been consistent with me. Firm. Decisive. Fair. At times feared, yes — but predictable in his reasoning and clear in his direction.

So when people question my stance, understand this: my support is not blind. It is informed by lived experience.

You may label me as you wish.

I do not repay good with ingratitude.

I stand where I stand because of what I have personally known.

May God show him the same fairness and kindness he has shown me.

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Tawanda Nyambirai is a prominent Zimbabwean lawyer, entrepreneur and investment banker.