Tagwirei, Mnangagwa golf video sparks outrage

A video showing controversial businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei casually interacting with President Emmerson Mnangagwa during a golf outing has ignited public outcry and intensified speculation over the battle to succeed Zimbabwe's long-serving leader. The footage, which surfaced on social media today, shows Tagwirei not only playing golf with Mnangagwa, but also displaying striking familiarity - at one point patting the president in an unguarded moment that has been widely interpreted as a symbolic display of dominance and proximity to power.

The timing of the video's release has been described by analysts as no coincidence. It followed a public rebuke of Tagwirei by Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa, who lashed out at the businessman during a press conference, suggesting growing tension within the ruling party. The video appears to be a strategic counter from Mnangagwa's camp - an unmistakable message to the Chiwenga faction and the political elite that Tagwirei remains deeply entrenched at the heart of power.

Sources within Zanu-PF say Mnangagwa is exploring several succession strategies, none of which include Vice President Constantino Chiwenga taking over peacefully. One scenario sees Tagwirei being positioned to assume power, another involves Mnangagwa pushing for a term extension that could see him die in office, and a third option considers bringing in a surprise successor - rumoured to be Foreign Affairs Minister Frederick Shava - as a way to block Chiwenga. According to insiders, the only conceivable path for Chiwenga to ascend to the presidency now lies through military intervention.

What is drawing the most outrage, however, is not the palace intrigue itself, but the content of the video. To many Zimbabweans, the image of a businessman as deeply associated with corruption as Tagwirei physically petting the head of state is not just inappropriate - it is degrading. Rather than projecting strength, critics say, Tagwirei comes off as a man intoxicated by access to power, trying to assert dominance through staged intimacy. And Mnangagwa, by tolerating this display, appears weak and compromised.

The video has triggered fierce debate in Harare's diplomatic circles and beyond, where observers have questioned the president's judgment and the apparent collapse of the boundaries between public office and private influence. Diplomats have privately described the clip as a "humiliation" and a "theatre of obscenity," showcasing how deeply Tagwirei has embedded himself in the state machinery.

Critics argue that this is no longer a case of behind-the-scenes corruption - it is now openly flaunted. The presidency, once revered as an institution demanding respect and formality, is now seen as a personalized seat of power, susceptible to manipulation by the highest bidder. "When the president of a country allows himself to be handled in public like a beloved uncle by a tenderpreneur, it shows a dangerous erosion of statecraft and discipline," said one political analyst.

This growing perception that the lines between state power and private capital have completely blurred is reinforcing a sense of disillusionment among Zimbabweans. For many, the video has become a vivid metaphor for the rot within the political system - a moment where the regime's insecurities and entanglements are laid bare.

As discussions on the future of Zimbabwe's leadership intensify ahead of the Zanu-PF conference later this year, the golf video may well be remembered as a pivotal moment. Not because it confirmed who is in control, but because it showed just how desperate and unrefined that control has become. In the words of one veteran observer: "What we witnessed is not leadership. It is a regime trying to turn cronyism into legitimacy - and failing, embarrassingly so."