Categories: Stories

Is this the man who can lead Zimbabwe football?

In a documentary entitled Back in Harare by Dutch journalist Bram Vermeulen, flamboyant Zimbabwean businessman Phillip Chiyangwa is seen driving his Bentley along a Harare Road with the Dutch journalist.

Bragging about his wealth, Chiyangwa says he is not selfish. He rents out his Bentley to those who can afford. Bona, President Robert Mugabe’s only daughter, he says hired it for her wedding.

What is interesting about the documentary shot last year, however, is that Chiyangwa approaches a roadblock where a woman police officer clears stops him but he doesn’t.

Vermeulen asks him: “So you don’t have to stop for the police?”

He replies: “No I don’t have to. They can follow if they want.”

With a chuckle Vermeulen asks: “You never stop for the police?”

Chiyangwa: “No I won’t. They will start asking you nonsense things that don’t help me in any way.”

Vermeulen: “But everyone has to stop, right?”

Chiyangwa: “I don’t know. Who was in front of me? Did you see a car that we hit?

Vermeulen: “I saw a police officer saying stop.”

“For what, for just viewing the car or what was it about? Was it about the viewing of the car? There are many that can stop you. They want to see the Bentley. They stop you, they want to see the Rolls Royce. I mean I don’t have the time. Time is money,” Chiyangwa says before showing Vermeulen his 18-berdoomed house with 25 lounges.

As Chiyangwa rightly says when he shows the journalist a room-full of shoes, when you have money you have to use it.

But is this the man who can lead Zimbabwe football? A man who totally ignores the rule of law and brags about it?

As one Star FM listener said during a debate about the ZIFA candidates, Zimbabwe is not looking for a soccer sponsor but an administrator.

Note: This is a 44 minute video. If you cannot afford to download it just fast forward to 28:31 minutes to watch the relevant section.

(332 VIEWS)

This post was last modified on November 9, 2015 10:28 am

Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

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