Mnangagwa brings wealthy ally Tagwirei into Zanu PF politburo

Kudakwashe Tagwirei outside the Zanu PF party headquarters on October 14, 2026 (PICTURE/Moreblessing Marange)

HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday appointed wealthy businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei to the Zanu PF politburo, the latest step in the controversial tycoon’s meteoric rise through the ruling party’s hierarchy.

Tagwirei, who reportedly harbours ambitions of succeeding Mnangagwa, has moved from the political sidelines to the centre of power in a series of appointments that have raised questions about his growing influence over the president and the ruling party.

Zanu PF spokesman Christopher Mutsvangwa announced the changes in a statement, saying Obert Mpofu had been removed as secretary for information technology and appointed to the party’s council of elders. The move effectively strips Mpofu of his seat in the politburo, Zanu PF’s highest decision-making body between congresses.

Justice Mayor Wadyajena, meanwhile, has been co-opted into the central committee in a major comeback for a businessman who was once among Mnangagwa’s prominent backers before their relationship cooled.

“The appointments are with immediate effect,” Mutsvangwa said.

For years, Tagwirei, the owner of petroleum and logistics company Sakunda Holdings, appeared content to operate largely outside the formal structures of Zanu PF while accumulating a fortune, much of it through lucrative state contracts.

Mnangagwa appointed him to the Presidential Advisory Council in 2019, a body established to advise the president on economic and other national issues and comprising figures from different sectors of society.

Last year, Tagwirei was appointed chairman of the Land Tenure Implementation Committee, which is overseeing the conversion of existing 99-year leases, offer letters and permits on agricultural land into formal, registrable, transferable and bankable title deeds.

His political fortunes rose further when Zanu PF embarked on a controversial campaign to amend the constitution to extend Mnangagwa’s second and final term by two years, from 2028 to 2030.

Tagwirei bankrolled the push, which for now appears to have put the succession debate on ice. The constitutional amendments also created provision for the president to appoint 10 additional senators.

After parliament passed the amendments and Mnangagwa signed them into law in July, Tagwirei was among the 10 senators appointed by the president.

His appointment to the Senate paved the way for his elevation to cabinet last week as minister of economic development and investment promotion.

Within days of his swearing-in, Mnangagwa promoted him again, appointing him secretary for economic development and investment promotion in the Zanu PF politburo.

The latest appointment gives Tagwirei a formal position at the heart of the party’s decision-making structures, consolidating a rise that has taken him from businessman and presidential adviser to senator, cabinet minister and senior party official in rapid succession.

But his ascent is likely to intensify tensions within a party where several senior figures harbour ambitions of succeeding Mnangagwa.

Among them is vice president Constantino Chiwenga, widely viewed as a leading contender in the succession battle and a critic of the growing influence of wealthy businessmen around the president.

Chiwenga has accused Tagwirei and other affluent presidential associates of bleeding the state, reflecting wider concerns over the relationship between political power and access to public resources.

Tagwirei’s growing prominence has also drawn international scrutiny. He is under sanctions imposed by the United States and Britain over allegations of corruption and his links to Zimbabwe’s political establishment.

The United States sanctioned Tagwirei in 2020, accusing him of exploiting his close relationship with Mnangagwa to secure preferential access to government contracts and foreign currency. The US Treasury said he had used his influence to benefit himself and senior government officials.

Britain imposed sanctions on Tagwirei in February 2025, citing corruption and alleging that he had provided financial support to members of Zimbabwe’s ruling elite. The British government said the measures targeted individuals it considered to have benefited from corruption and contributed to the country’s economic difficulties.

The Zimbabwean government has repeatedly condemned Western sanctions as unjustified interference in the country’s affairs.

Tagwirei’s elevation to the politburo now places him in a position to exert greater influence over Zanu PF policy and the succession debate, even as his rapid rise is likely to sharpen scrutiny of his business interests and his relationship with Mnangagwa