ZANU PF’S TOURISM MESS EXPOSED IN WHATSAPP BLUNDER
Zimbabwe’s state agencies are falling apart under the weight of ZANU PF’s endless purges and political games. The latest disaster comes from the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority after its acting chief executive William Stima accidentally exposed the rot by posting a private message on his WhatsApp status. This mistake has now blown open what insiders have been whispering for months — a full-scale purge of senior staff driven more by personal vendettas than any real plan to fix things.
Stima’s message was meant for the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry permanent secretary Takaruza Munyenyiwa. Instead of sending it privately, he posted it publicly on his WhatsApp status where many people saw it. The message revealed even more planned removals of top ZTA officials. This blunder is embarrassing, yes, but more importantly, it exposes a bigger story — ZTA has already fired three executive directors and six department heads. That is not reform. That is sabotage.
Under Minister Barbara Rwodzi’s leadership, the ZTA is now seen as a battlefield. What was meant to be a professional institution promoting tourism is now a space of fear, backstabbing and political games. This is a government agency that once worked to attract visitors to Zimbabwe, bring in much-needed foreign currency, and uplift the image of the country. Now it has become a playground for power struggles and revenge missions.
The ZTA has tried to defend itself by claiming it is restructuring. They say they are reducing high staff-cost-to-revenue ratios. But if this was true, why are the purges mostly targeting top professionals instead of reviewing the entire system properly? The claim that this is a rationalisation process that began in 2019 does not add up when the current wave of removals is filled with complaints from inside the agency itself.
This is not the first time a ZANU PF-linked ministry has been accused of using restructuring as a cover for looting and personal agendas. Sources inside ZTA say some of those being pushed out were simply too honest or too principled to play along with corruption. Now they are being labelled as part of the problem so that new loyalists can be brought in. The cost of this kind of political interference is massive. When the tourism authority loses institutional memory and experienced leadership, it cannot function. It cannot plan. It cannot attract investors. It cannot perform.
The same regime that destroyed agriculture and collapsed industry is now pulling down tourism, one of the last sectors with real potential. ZANU PF has a habit of turning functioning institutions into toxic environments. Instead of building capacity, they are busy burning bridges and erasing progress.
Minister Rwodzi has a lot to answer for. These staff purges are happening on her watch. People are losing jobs in silence, and careers are being destroyed without proper explanation. The line between government service and party loyalty has become dangerously blurred. And now the ministry stands accused of abuse of power and corruption, with investigations already underway.
The sad truth is that this is not surprising. In a ZANU PF-run country, institutions are never safe. Competence is punished. Loyalty is rewarded. Mistakes are never admitted. And when someone like William Stima accidentally lets the truth out, the default response is to cover up, not to clean up.
Zimbabwe does not need more purges. It needs a leadership that values skill, transparency and public service. It needs ministries that function for the people, not as tools for personal gain. This latest ZTA scandal should be a wake-up call, but under this regime, it will probably be just another headline buried under a pile of scandals.
