ZIMBABWE’S SICK HEALTH SYSTEM IS NOW A CASH MACHINE FOR MNANGAGWA’S FRIENDS

On the outside, it looked like a caring minister was speaking out. On 5 May, Youth Minister Tinoda Machakaire posted a message saying Zimbabwe’s health system was in a bad state. He asked President Mnangagwa to go and see how bad things are in hospitals. Many people praised Machakaire for being brave and honest. They thought he cared. But that message was not just about caring. It was the beginning of a big plan to make money.

Soon after Machakaire’s message, Mnangagwa started visiting hospitals. He went to Parirenyatwa Hospital, Sally Mugabe Hospital, and the NatPharm warehouse. He said something must be done. But behind the scenes, plans were already being made. Deals worth about US$1 billion were being prepared. These were not deals to fix the health system for the people. They were deals for Mnangagwa’s friends to get rich.

Wicknell Chivayo, a known ZANU PF ally, got a huge contract. His company, TTM Global, was given over US$400 million to supply cancer machines. The contract was signed in March. It was not advertised publicly. No other company was given a chance. The company is only a few months old. It operates from a penthouse in Johannesburg linked to Chivayo. He was paid US$52.5 million as a deposit, and the rest will be paid in monthly payments.

The timing of all this is suspicious. Chivayo’s contract was signed just weeks after Machakaire’s “concerned” post. And Mnangagwa’s hospital visits started just days after that post. It now looks like the post was just part of a plan. A plan to make people believe something new was happening. A plan to make room for billion-dollar tenders.

The deals don’t end with Chivayo. Mnangagwa travelled to Belarus and signed another health deal with Belarusian President Lukashenko. The deal is worth US$300 million. It is supposed to help rebuild hospitals and improve Zimbabwe’s health system. But again, people close to power are the ones in charge. Alexander Zingman, Lukashenko’s ally, and Kudakwashe Tagwirei, Mnangagwa’s ally, are in the middle of this deal. Tagwirei didn’t even travel to Belarus, but he is presented as an adviser on health deals.

Only two days after Machakaire’s post, a secret meeting was held in Harare. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, Reserve Bank chiefs, Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, and Tagwirei were there. They talked about raising money for medical equipment. No public was told. No open process. Just powerful people planning how to spend public money their way.

It gets worse. Hopewell Chin’ono, a journalist, revealed another deal. Mnangagwa gave a contract to Prevail International, a company owned by his adviser, Tempter Paul Tungwarara. This company was registered in January 2025. Just days after it was created, it got a huge contract to fix hospitals. It was never advertised. The public never saw any tender notice.

Prevail International has no known record of doing work outside Mnangagwa’s government. It has been given many contracts, including Cyber City, housing projects, boreholes, and even building the wall around State House. That wall alone cost US$15 million. The company’s addresses are either small flats or private homes. Yet it gets millions in contracts.

Tungwarara has been accused of many crimes. From unpaid loans to land scams. He was even accused of using armed men to evict a man he sold fake land to. Yet, Mnangagwa gave him a diplomatic passport and told all government departments to treat him like a diplomat.

This is what is happening in Zimbabwe. The health crisis is real. But for Mnangagwa and his people, it is just a business opportunity. They are using sick people’s suffering to make themselves rich. The health system is now a cash machine. A billion-dollar scam. And the people continue to die in poor hospitals while the rich get richer. This is not leadership. It is looting. And Zimbabwe is bleeding.