WATCH LIVE: CHAOS After Chiwenga Blocks Donation of Cars by Tagwirei

WATCH LIVE as gambakwe looks at the chaos that has brockedn out in ZANU-PF after Chiwenga blocks donations of cars by Tagwirei to members of the central committee – A major fallout has erupted within the ruling Zanu PF party after Vice President Constantino Chiwenga reportedly blocked the donation of cars by business tycoon Kudakwashe Tagwirei to party members. The incident has sparked controversy and debate over internal party dynamics.

Members in ZANU PF have accused Chiwenga of receiving cars from Tagwirei.

Please watch the video above this post for more details

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1. Gata Burial a key event

2. Mnangagwa to address church leaders in Harare

Trending Topics

1. Trial of Ministry official Portia Manangadzira fails to take off after witnesses from the Ministry of health did not show up in court.

2. The court case involving Naomi Wekwete, chairperson of the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) board, opened on 7 July 2025 in Harare. She appeared before Harare Regional Magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa, facing charges related to corruption. Specifically, Wekwete is accused of failing to declare a conflict of interest and improperly benefiting from her position. The trial marks a significant anti-corruption effort targeting high-level officials.

Car Donations

In Zimbabwe’s complex political landscape, where wealth and power intertwine, the saga of luxury car donations has emerged as a striking symbol of influence. The dramatic climax in early July 2025, when Vice President Constantino Chiwenga blocked a massive vehicle donation by tycoon Kudakwashe Tagwirei, was not an isolated incident. It was the culmination of a seven-year saga that began in earnest during the pivotal 2018 election cycle, a long-running drama about the very mechanics of power in Zimbabwe.

List of all car donations mentioned, starting with the most recent.

• July 2025: ZANU-PF Central Committee & Politburo members (from K. Tagwirei) – Fleet of over 300 vehicles (including Land Cruisers & Raptors).
• July 2025: Jah Prayzah’s wife (from W. Chivayo) – Land Rover Defender.
• May 2025: Reuben Barwe (from W. Chivayo) – Toyota Land Cruiser VXR.
• May 2025: Soul Jah Love’s family (from W. Chivayo) – Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.
• December 2024: Rebecca Chisamba, “Mai Chisamba” (from W. Chivayo) – Toyota Fortuner.
• December 2024: Andy Brown’s family (from W. Chivayo) – Toyota Fortuner.
• December 2024: Felistas Murata, “Mai Titi” (from W. Chivayo) – Vehicle.
• November 2024: Mechanic Manyeruke, Olivia Charamba & Leonard Zhakata (from W. Chivayo) – Toyota Fortuners.
• April 2024: Admire Kuzhangaira, “Kedha,” “Kapfupi” & “Mavery” (from W. Chivayo) – Toyota Aqua (each).
• January 2024: Jah Prayzah (from W. Chivayo) – Mercedes-Benz S500.
• July 2023: Traditional Chiefs (from K. Tagwirei) – Fleet of 80 off-road vehicles.
• Pre-2020: Vice President Chiwenga & his family (from K. Tagwirei) – Mercedes-Benz E350 & a Lexus.
• 2018: ZANU-PF Party (from K. Tagwirei) – Fleet of hundreds of SUVs & trucks.
• Pre-2018: Kalisto Pasuwa, football coach (from W. Chivayo) – Car.

To understand the present, we must start at the beginning. This is the timeline of how gilded gifts have shaped the nation’s politics. Other people who have received cars include Madam Boss, Mathias Mhere, Suluman Chimbetu, Dorcas Moyo, Toky Vibes, Diana Samkange, Andy Muridzo, Kicky Badass and other musicians.

The Timeline of Wheels and Influence: 2018 – 2025

2018: The Election Blueprint
The 2018 harmonized elections set the precedent for the large-scale automotive patronage we see today, with Kudakwashe Tagwirei emerging as the pivotal financier for the ruling party.

• Throughout 2018, Tagwirei leveraged his vast financial resources and business empire to shape the electoral landscape. His company, Sakunda Holdings, played a central role by procuring and distributing a large fleet of brand-new vehicles—mainly SUVs and trucks—all branded with the ZANU-PF party insignia. These were handed out strategically to party officials, parliamentary candidates, and youth league members, enabling the party to maintain a highly visible and mobile campaign presence across the country.

• This was part of a much broader pattern of financial support. By mid-2018, ZANU-PF had reportedly raised a campaign war chest of approximately US$200 million, with Tagwirei’s contributions representing a significant share. His involvement went beyond hardware; Sakunda Holdings was instrumental in supplying critical logistical support, including fuel and transport, for electioneering activities. The financial architecture behind this was intricate. In one notable transaction, Sakunda Holdings reportedly paid $120 million for a stake in a company called Spincash, in a deal understood to be directly linked to channeling funds into ZANU-PF’s campaign efforts through a complex network of companies and loans.

• Concurrently in 2018, while Tagwirei focused on political machinery, Wicknell Chivayo was honing his public-facing patronage. Having previously rewarded national football team coach Kalisto Pasuwa with a car, he solidified his template of using popular culture for influence, a strategy he would dramatically escalate in the years to come.

2019 – 2021: The Quiet Consolidation
This period was characterized by less public, but no less significant, consolidation of power and influence. While the mass public giveaways paused, the strategic gifting to high-level officials continued away from the public glare.

• January 2020: A critical moment of foreshadowing occurred. During divorce proceedings, court documents revealed that Vice President Constantino Chiwenga had been a beneficiary of Kudakwashe Tagwirei‘s largesse. It was stated that Tagwirei had donated a Mercedes-Benz E350 for the use of the Vice President’s children.

2022 – 2023: The Re-Emergence
After a period of relative quiet, the machinery of patronage roared back to life, setting the stage for the frenzy to come.

• July 2023: Kudakwashe Tagwirei made another major political move, donating a fleet of 80 new off-road vehicles to traditional chiefs.

• Throughout 2023: Wicknell Chivayo began the systematic rebuilding of his public image, gifting vehicles to musicians and members of his apostolic church.

2024: The Year of Unprecedented Patronage
This was the year the strategy of patronage exploded into a national obsession, driven by Chivayo‘s near-daily social media announcements.

• January 2024: Chivayo gifts a Mercedes-Benz S500 to popular musician Jah Prayzah.

• April 2024: He rewards four comedians—Admire “Bhutisi” Kuzhangaira, “Kedha”, “Kapfupi”, and “Mavery”—each with a Toyota Aqua. The social media frenzy hit fever pitch, with widespread, though often unconfirmed, reports linking other prominent entertainers like Madam Boss and Kikky Badass to the giveaways.

• November 2024: Chivayo honours music legends Mechanic Manyeruke, Olivia Charamba, and Leonard Zhakata with new Toyota Fortuners.

• December 2024: He gifts a Toyota Fortuner to veteran broadcaster Rebecca Chisamba (“Mai Chisamba“) and provides vehicles for the families of the late Andy Brown and socialite Felistas Murata (“Mai Titi“).

2025: The Political Climax
The first half of the year saw the patronage continue unabated until it collided head-on with factional party politics.

• May 2025: Chivayo honours veteran state broadcaster Reuben Barwe with a top-of-the-range Toyota Land Cruiser VXR. He also gifts a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado to the family of the late musician Soul Jah Love.

• July 2025: The political bombshell drops. Kudakwashe Tagwirei’s attempt to donate over 300 vehicles to ZANU-PF’s Central Committee and Politburo members is publicly and decisively blocked by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.

The Chiwenga Paradox: Past Patronage, Present Prohibition

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s move to block Tagwirei’s donations positioned him as an enforcer of party discipline. However, as the 2020 court revelations show, this stance is fraught with contradiction. The man halting the distribution of gilded gifts from a tycoon is the very same man who had previously accepted them for his own family’s benefit.

This history fundamentally changes the lens through which the July 2025 blockade must be viewed. It was less a moral crusade against the principle of patronage—a practice deeply embedded in the party since 2018 and before—and more a strategic power play. It was a move to determine who has the right to be the chief patron and to prevent a rival from accumulating a level of influence within the party that could threaten the established hierarchy.

Conclusion: A Glossary of the Gilded Gifts

In this high-stakes game, the vehicles themselves have become characters, each model representing a different type of power, status, or strategy. Here is a summary of the notable cars that define the landscape of Zimbabwean patronage:

• Mercedes-Benz E350: The central piece of evidence in the “Chiwenga Paradox.” This luxury sedan was revealed during the Vice President’s January 2020 divorce proceedings as a gift from Kudakwashe Tagwirei for the use of Chiwenga’s children, cementing the direct patronage link between the two men.

• Lexus (model unspecified): Another vehicle reportedly donated by Tagwirei to Vice President Chiwenga, this one linked to the Command Agriculture program, further demonstrating the intertwined nature of business, state programs, and personal benefits.

• Rolls-Royce & Mercedes-Benz S-Class: The pinnacle of state power. While the S-Class (S600, S550, S500) serves as the traditional vehicle for senior officials, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s fleet, which includes a Mercedes-Benz Brabus and the opulent Rolls-Royce nicknamed “New Zim 1” (added in late 2024), symbolizes an elevated status of ultimate authority.

• Toyota Land Cruiser series (Prado, 200 Series, VX): The workhorse of political patronage. Known for durability and off-road capability ideal for Zimbabwe’s terrain, this is Tagwirei‘s vehicle of choice for large-scale influence campaigns. Fleets of Land Cruisers were the key assets in his 2023 donations to traditional chiefs and his blocked 2025 donation to ZANU-PF leaders.

• Toyota Fortuner: The vehicle of cultural influence. This SUV is Wicknell Chivayo‘s preferred gift for rewarding popular figures, bestowed upon music legends like Mechanic Manyeruke and Olivia Charamba, as well as the families of late icons like Andy Brown.

• Land Rover Defender: A symbol of targeted, high-value gifting. Chivayo‘s gift of a modern Defender to Jah Prayzah’s wife in July 2025 showed a level of personalized, extravagant patronage aimed at a key cultural ally.

• Toyota Hilux Double Cab: The vehicle of state security. Widely used by the VIP Protection Division and other government security arms, its presence in official fleets signifies the state’s enforcement power.

• Mercedes-Benz GLE 350D & other SUVs: The standard ministerial perk. These vehicles, often costing upwards of US$100,000 each, represent the authorized, state-sanctioned luxury afforded to government ministers and deputies, purchased through official channels like the Ministry of Finance.