Categories: Stories

Why a Mnangagwa victory is bad news

A few years ago, I had a bitter argument with some South Africans. They were accusing me of being a Mugabe apologist because I was defending the old man to the hilt. This was not because I liked him. He had long passed his use-by date.

What I could not stomach was a bunch of people pestering me about why we could not get rid of the old man when he had just won an election- rigged or not, as if they could help. I told them bluntly that I might be a supporter of Mugabe but at least my support was only verbal. Their support was financial. And they seemed shocked.

I told them that if you fly to Zimbabwe, the food you eat is mostly likely to have been made by a Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front company, Catercraft.

When you arrived in Zimbabwe and you wanted to travel in style, you probably hired a car from a ZANU-PF company as ZIMOCO had the franchise for the most luxurious cars in the country- Mercedes Benz or Jeep.

When you got to your hotel, the food you ate was probably cooked on a stove made by a ZANU-PF company, Tregers.

Even in South Africa itself most people prided themselves in using stoves made by a ZANU-PF company, Kango, branded KIC.

The blankets on your bed were from a ZANU-PF company, National Blankets.

The water you bathed or showered was heated by a geyser made by a ZANU-PF company.

And you probably went to change your money at a ZANU-PF bank……

My point was that ZANU-PF was a conglomerate that most people, including those who hated Mugabe, supported financially without realizing it. And one of the brains behind the business empire was none other than Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Movement for Democratic Change Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa was right when he refused to release his party’s manifesto before that of ZANU-PF because Mnangagwa would “steal” his ideas. The guy does not just “steal” but he also implements. And does it better than the originators of the idea just like his favourite comrades, the Chinese.

One of the world’s richest men, Chinese billionaire Jack Ma upset the international community when he boasted that fake products manufactured in China were not only better quality than originals but they were much cheaper.

Continued next page

(5211 VIEWS)

This post was last modified on August 16, 2018 10:56 am

Page: 1 2

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.

Recent Posts

Zimbabwe third among the least free countries in SADC

Zimbabwe has been ranked third among the least free countries in Southern Africa but it…

May 24, 2026

Why I had a girlfriend two months after my wife’s death- Take 1

I had always considered it a curse for a wife to die before her husband.…

May 18, 2026

Why I had a girlfriend two months after my wife’s death

This is a true story about the challenges and loneliness I faced when my wife…

May 17, 2026

Coming soon

My first long-form article in booklet form: Why I had a girlfriend two months after…

May 16, 2026

Insider Publisher starts whatsapp channel

The editor and publisher of The Insider, Charles Rukuni, has started a whatsapp channel through…

May 15, 2026

Who propped whom: Masiyiwa vs Nyambirai?

A friend who knows about my legal battle with Zimbabwe’s richest man, Strive Masiyiwa, way…

May 1, 2026